


I will protect you from anything (you might be afraid of)

by kuningatarmirka



Series: Family Bonding [2]
Category: The Order (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Finnish Mythology & Folklore, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vermish baby, mentions of child death, this is just the fluffiest fluff, with a tiny bit of angst thrown in
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:02:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 34,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27884194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuningatarmirka/pseuds/kuningatarmirka
Summary: Vera and Hamish finding out there is another adventure ahead of them.Vera is pregnant.(And there is someone causing havoc on campus, too, because of course there is.)
Relationships: Hamish Duke/Vera Stone
Series: Family Bonding [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024146
Comments: 183
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Quibilah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quibilah/gifts).



> This takes place in my Family Bonding universe but can be read without reading the other parts (but I would of course prefer it if you read them as well :D) 
> 
> In this universe Vera has her magic back and I also chose not to write about the Fors Factoram. There are already fics that explore it. I'm going to be focusing more on other stuff so let's just imagine they found a solution for it.

Vera pinched the bridge of her nose with both of her hands and exhaled deeply.

“So, if I understood you correctly, these new acolytes of ours managed to drown the whole classroom in sewage water, trying to do a… what was the spell again?”

She was sitting in her chair in the reliquary, looking up at Hamish, Jack and Randall who had come to tell her about the incident that had happened earlier that day.

“We don’t know exactly,” Jack answered. “We didn’t see how it started, but we did see how it ended, and it wasn’t pretty.”

“Oh, it wasn’t,” Randall said from beside him, shuddering in disgust.

Jack was slumped on one the chairs in front of her desk while Randall leaned on the armrest of the other. Hamish was standing behind them with a frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

“And you,” Vera continued, pointing at Randall, “took off a finger from one of them?” Her voice rose in confusion as she tried to understand what had happened.

“That was an accident, I swear!” Randall defended himself, raising his hands.

Vera gave him a suspicious look, not believing him in the slightest. “When I let you watch over the acolytes, I didn’t mean you could start removing their limbs.”

Jack snorted in his chair but quieted immediately when Vera sent him a glare.

“I think what Randall means is that he won’t be doing it again,” Hamish said, walking over to Vera’s side. “Am I right?”

“Fine!” Randall huffed, throwing his hands in the air. “It was fun, though,” he then smirked, which earned him another glare from Vera.

“No hurting any disciples,” she told the werewolves with a stern look.

“Not even when they try to use dangerous magic?” Jack asked, looking between her and Hamish.

Vera shook her head. “Not even then. We have better ways of punishing them.”

“We already performed a _Respondeo_ so the university will think it was just a malfunction of the sewage system,” Hamish spoke up. “When it comes to cleaning the classroom…”

“They’ll have a fun evening ahead of them,” Vera finished his sentence with a wicked smile.

“I don’t envy them,” Jack commented with a shake of his head. “That shit was gross.”

Vera let out a laugh. “When it comes to acolytes causing trouble, you were probably the worst of them,” she told him. She had been the one who chose to let him into the Order in the first place, but she had not been prepared for the chaos he had brought with him.

Jack just shrugged his shoulders in the chair and Vera couldn’t help but smile. That young man probably had no idea how much all of their lives had changed because of him. Vera wasn’t sure she would be sitting there as the leader of the Order if he hadn’t showed up and shaken the whole organization until all of its bad leaves had dropped onto the ground.

At least he was now working with the Order and not against it.

“Are we done?” Jack suddenly asked, sitting up fully in his chair. “I have some stuff to take care of.”

Vera’s smile dropped immediately and a frown took its place. Fortunately, Jack noticed it and was quick to correct himself. “I mean, Grand Magus.”

He still couldn’t say it without at least a little bit of sarcasm in the mix, but it was enough for Vera.

“You can go,” she nodded, moving her hand and opening the doors with her magic. Jack jumped up, pulling Randall with him and dragging him away from the reliquary.

Vera also stood from her chair, but she only managed to take one step before her vision suddenly got blurry and black spots danced before her eyes. She swayed and then fell down on her knees.

* * *

“Vera!” Hamish cried out, rushing over to her and helping her up. “Are you okay? What happened?”

He held her by her shoulders and searched for any injuries, but when he didn’t see any, he let out the breath he had been holding.

“I got up too fast,” Vera answered slowly, blinking away the blurriness. “I’m okay,” she nodded, but Hamish saw she was still too dizzy to stand on her own.

Jack and Randall had also heard the commotion and were back in the reliquary, standing by the door, looking worried.

“You sure?” Hamish asked when he felt her lean on him.

She closed her eyes for a moment. “Yes, it was just all the blood rushing back to my head.”

“Do you want to go home?”

Vera shook her head. “No, I have too much work to do.”

Hamish signaled the other knights that Vera was fine, and they could go. He watched as they exited the reliquary and felt Vera pull away from him. She walked over to her chair and sat down, this time more carefully.

Hamish decided to keep an eye on her while she worked and set up his own workstation on the other side of the desk. Vera arched her brow at him but kept quiet, concentrating on her own work.

They worked for a couple of hours in silence. As the third hour was starting, Hamish saw his girlfriend grow more and more tired every passing minute. When her head started to drop, he had to say something.

“Vera?” he spoke up, startling her.

“Uhm, what?” she looked up, disorientated.

“You’re almost half asleep, let’s go home.”

“No, I have to finish this,” she insisted, but Hamish saw her try to cover a big yawn with her hand.

“You have time tomorrow,” he replied, closing the book he had been reading.

“The council wants me to do this as soon as possible,” she tried to argue but her protests were getting weaker.

It was the start of the new semester and Hamish knew Vera had a lot of work to do, both as the Chancellor and as the Grand Magus, but it would have to wait till tomorrow.

“It’s late enough. They know they can’t expect miracles from you.”

Finally, she relented. “Fine, but I’ll have you answering all of their phone calls tomorrow.”

“Deal,” Hamish smiled, getting up. Vera stood up as well and this time stayed on her feet.

“See? I can do this,” she teased him, getting her purse, and walking out of the reliquary with him.

“Didn’t doubt it,” he chuckled, taking her hand in his after he had closed the doors behind them.

When they got to her car, he was able to convince her that she was too tired to drive, so he drove them home instead. Vera fell asleep halfway there and Hamish shook his head. She was so stubborn.

When they arrived at their house, he carried Vera inside. She didn’t even stir when he placed her on the bed and removed her shoes. He wasn’t going to try and remove her dress, so he decided to let her sleep in it for one night.

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered, covering her with the blanket and kissing her forehead. Vera scrunched up her nose a little in her sleep but didn't wake.

Hamish knew there was something going on. She was more tired than usual and her falling earlier had made him worry even more. Still, there was nothing he could do at the moment so he decided to let her sleep. He was going to look after her and make sure she was okay.


	2. Chapter 2

The annoying blare of an alarm roused Vera from her sleep. She groaned into her pillow and felt the bed move as Hamish tried to reach his phone to shut off the alarm.

“Too early,” she mumbled once the ringing stopped, pulling her blanket over her head to hide from the morning light.

She heard Hamish chuckle, and soon he was moving the blanket aside to see her face.

“You have a meeting with the Council in two hours,” he reminded her.

“Don’t wanna,” Vera shook her head, burrowing her face deeper into her pillow.

Hamish laughed again and started to move away to get up from the bed, but Vera gripped his shirt to stop him. “Five more minutes,” she said and pulled him back down.

“Vera, I have to get up, too.”

“Noo,” she whined, but knew she was losing the battle. She opened her eyes slightly to get used to the bright light coming from the gap between the curtains and saw Hamish looking at her, this time a little concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she nodded, giving up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She was just really tired – more tired than she had been in a long time – and waking up after six in the morning felt like torture. It was a few days after she had fallen asleep in the car while they were coming home, and her fatigue had just gotten worse. She had been really embarrassed the next morning, but Hamish had assured her it was fine. He had just been glad he had been there to help her.

Vera didn’t know why she was so exhausted all the time. Sure, it was the start of the new semester and she had a lot of work to do, but it had never gotten this bad. Maybe she was just getting old.

Although Hamish was constantly telling her she wasn’t _old_.

Vera stood up and informed Hamish that she was going to take a shower. He was heading to the kitchen and asked her if she wanted coffee. She was too tired for her usual sarcastic response, so she just nodded and took her robe, walking into the bathroom.

After her shower she headed for the kitchen where she could already hear Hamish making them breakfast. She was drying her hair with a towel and had almost reached him when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, sniffing the air.

“What is that smell?” she asked with a disgusted face.

Hamish looked at her in confusion. “What smell?” He looked around the breakfast bar but didn’t see anything that would have smelled bad. His werewolf nose wasn’t sensing anything either.

Vera walked closer and took the coffee mug Hamish had filled for her and raised it to her nose.

“This,” she shuddered in disgust and placed the mug back down right away.

“It smells like normal coffee,” Hamish answered, furrowing his brow. “Doesn’t taste bad, either,” he continued after taking a sip.

“I can’t stand it,” Vera told him. “Please, throw it away.”

“Okay,” he shrugged, pouring the coffee in the mug down the drain. He took a few sips of his own coffee before he got rid of that as well. “Can you at least eat something?” he then asked, pointing at the food in front of him.

Vera smiled and nodded when she saw he had made pancakes. She was starving.

* * *

“Thank you, Chancellor!” the young man with the brown mop of messy hair said politely as he stepped out of Vera’s office.

“Don’t forget to talk to your professor, Mr. Davis,” she reminded the student who had come to talk to her about his grades. The boy nodded and then scurried away as fast as he could, leaving Vera alone in the hallway.

She sighed and walked back into her office and closed the door behind her. She had already met with five students who were having troubles with their studies and it was only noon.

The start of her day hadn't been pleasant. At first she had had to listen to the Gnostic Council members complain once again about her decision to allow the knights to watch over their newest acolytes. She had already lost count of how many times she had had to defend the decision. Luckily most of the council members were on her side after seeing how well she had taken care of the Order as of late, so she ended up winning that fight.

When she had finally gotten rid of the Council, she had then had to listen to all the different excuses her students had for their poor results. She was already having a headache by the time the third student entered her office and it hadn't looked like it was going to get any better.

Vera sat back in her chair and looked at the screen of her computer, checking when the next student would arrive, when she heard someone knock on the door.

“Come in,” she said, straightening her back and turning towards the door.

The opening door revealed a smiling Hamish with a bag of food in his hand, stepping into the room.

“Is it a bad time?” he asked, seeing her exhaustion.

“No, it’s alright,” she answered, signaling him closer and telling him to close the door. “My next appointment is in 30 minutes so I should have some time to eat.”

Hamish had been a regular face at the administration building for months now, and everyone knew to let him enter her office even when she was working.

“I brought lunch,” he announced, placing the paper bag on her desk and Vera saw he had gone to the nearest Indian restaurant to get their usual. She usually loved their curry but this time the smells were too much for her. Especially when Hamish opened the bag, Vera had to take a deep breath so she wouldn’t get sick.

“I don’t have any other classes to teach today, so I thought we could eat together,” he continued talking and taking the food containers out of the bag. He only looked up when Vera hadn’t said anything in a while and frowned when he saw her pale face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, placing the last container down in front of her.

When the strong smell of the spices hit her nose, she immediately shot out of her chair and ran out of the room, heading for the nearest bathroom.

Once inside she managed to find a toilet and promptly threw up everything she had eaten that day. Even after there was nothing left in her stomach, she kept retching. There were tears in her eyes when it finally stopped, and she stood up on shaky legs.

She flushed the toilet and walked out of the cubicle. She rested her hands on the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She was still pale, her make-up was smudged, and her hair didn’t look that great, either.

Vera exhaled. There had only been one time in her life when she had felt like this. The constant fatigue, dizziness, aversion to certain smells and tastes only pointed at one thing.

She was pregnant.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments! They make me want to write faster 🤗

After rinsing her mouth and fixing her make-up with magic, Vera walked back to her office in a haze.

She didn’t know what to think or what to feel. She wasn’t hundred percent sure yet, but the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

She was pregnant again. There was a baby growing inside her, one that fully depended on her. Vera wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Not after what had happened to her daughter.

Still, there was a part of her, bigger than she was ready to admit, that wanted this.

She felt so conflicted.

Vera entered her office and saw Hamish pacing the floor. He turned to look at her when she walked in and took in her appearance. When he saw how shaken she looked, he got even more concerned.

“Vera?” he spoke and walked over to her, taking her hands in his. “What’s wrong?”

She looked up at him, opening her mouth to answer but nothing came out. A single tear ran down her cheek and Hamish cupped her face to wipe it off.

“Hey, talk to me,” he said softly, and the love Vera could see in his eyes made her burst into tears.

She leaped into his arms and clung to him as she cried. Hamish stiffened in surprise at first but then pulled her close to his chest and held her tightly. She winced slightly when her sore breasts pressed against him and it caused more tears to fall. Yet another symptom that made her theory look even more real.

“It’s going to be okay,” Hamish promised her, and Vera let out a broken sob when she heard it because she knew he had no idea why she was crying. She continued to cry into his shirt, letting out all her anxiety.

When her tears started to dry, she pulled away a little. Hamish was still stroking her back.

“Do you want to go home?” he asked gently. He knew her so well that he understood she wouldn't be able to talk to him just yet.

Vera nodded, wiping her nose. She knew she couldn’t concentrate on her work right now. Even if she used her magic to fix her appearance, everyone would know something was wrong and she couldn't allow that. She was supposed to be the strong and cold leader, not a crying mess.

She picked up her things while Hamish told the secretary that Vera had to leave unexpectedly and wouldn’t be returning until tomorrow.

Once everything was taken care of, Hamish drove them home. Vera saw his confusion the whole time, but he was such a sweetheart she knew he wouldn’t say anything until they were back inside and could talk properly. She was still sniffling occasionally, and Hamish kept glancing at her, but every time she just forced a smile, showing him she was fine.

The whole drive her thoughts kept jumping from the pregnancy and the baby to Hamish, then to her painful past and the tragic death of her daughter, – something that she still blamed herself for, no matter what anyone said – and finally to herself.

Did she want this? Was it too late for her to get her happy ending? Did she even believe in happy endings?

She didn't even know what Hamish would say. They had never talked about kids or what they would do if she got pregnant. It had never even been on their radar.

But now it was a big blinking dot right in front of them and the uncertainty of it all was killing her.

When they arrived home, Vera walked into the living room but then stopped, not knowing what to do or where to go. Hamish followed her and stepped beside her. “Do you want to talk?” he asked quietly.

Vera looked up at him, then sighed, nodding her head. Hamish took her hand and lead her to the couch where they sat down, side by side.

“Are you okay?” he asked with worry. They had only saved her from the _Fors Factoram_ last spring and Hamish had all the reasons to be concerned.

Vera nodded. “Yes. I’m okay.” She knew she had to tell him about the pregnancy. He had the right to know. She also knew it would be better to ease into it, tell her about her suspicions first. Instead, she ended up blurting it all out.

“I’m pregnant,” she announced. Saying it out loud brought new tears in her eyes and she placed her hand in front of her mouth to stop the sob from getting out.

Hamish’s eyes widened in surprise, but Vera’s tears took all his attention and he scooted closer to pull her into his arms again. It was always his first instinct to protect her.

“Hey, it’s going to be fine,” he told her, rubbing her back. She buried her face in his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. She didn’t know why she was crying so much. She knew it wasn’t because she didn’t want this baby. She already loved them, and she was terrified.

“It’s okay,” Hamish answered, pulling back and forcing her to look at him. “You’re pregnant?” he echoed her earlier words.

“I think so,” she stammered between her sobs. “The symptoms are there, and I’m so _tired_.”

She looked down at her hands. “I have been feeling like this once before,” she explained.

A look of realization flashed on Hamish’s face. He must have understood the real cause of her tears.

“What do you want to do?” he asked, taking her hands in his.

Vera raised her gaze. “I- I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m afraid I’ll fail again.”

“Hey, your daughter’s death was an accident, it wasn’t your fault.”

She shook her head, but Hamish didn’t let her argue. “No, it wasn’t your fault.”

New tears ran down her cheeks and Hamish got up to fetch some tissues. When he got back, he offered her one, watching as she wiped away the tears.

“I can’t go through that again,” she finally managed to admit while blowing her nose.

“You won’t. I’ll make sure of it,” he promised her.

“You can’t know that for sure,” Vera mumbled.

“Well, no, but what I do know, is that you – and I – will do everything to keep this baby safe, and isn’t that what matters the most?”

Vera couldn’t help but smile at his confidence. She hadn’t even taken a test yet and he was already being the best father. “I take it you want this?” she laughed a little, wiping her cheeks.

Hamish thought about for a while. “I had already given up on the idea of kids,” he admitted. “Being a father didn’t really fit into my life anymore.”

“But now there could be a baby,” Vera interrupted him.

“Yes, and I haven’t really wrapped my head around that yet,” he answered truthfully. “But honestly? You and this baby, if there really is one, are all I need.”

Vera looked at him in awe. She took a hold of his shirt and pulled him to her, slanting her lips over his. She kissed him deeply and he answered in kind.

When they finally pulled apart, Hamish cupped her face and looked into her eyes.

"No matter what you choose, I'll be here for you. You know that, don't you?"

Vera nodded her head, and then sighed. "I need to buy a pregnancy test."

"I can go buy you three, if you need me to," he smiled at her.

"I think one is fine," she answered. "Or maybe two, just in case."

She was still shaking a little and Hamish could see the fear in her eyes so he squeezed her hand. "Like I said, I'm not going anywhere."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an oral exam tomorrow but instead of studying I wrote this!

Vera and Hamish sat at the end of their bed, side by side, staring at the wall in front of them. Hamish was holding Vera’s hand in his, stroking her knuckles absentmindedly.

“It is time yet?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the wall.

Hamish looked at his watch. “A few minutes left.”

The results were probably already ready, but they wanted to do it right. Vera wanted it to be certain when she entered the bathroom and checked if their future was going to change or not.

She was even more conflicted now. At first the shock of realizing she might be pregnant had made her anxious and scared. Now, after she had had a few hours to think about it, her thoughts had started to change. Now she was afraid it might _not_ be happening. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted it.

Her situation was so different now. She wasn’t the same scared 16-year-old girl who had been kicked out by her parents. She was an adult now, and she had Hamish, who wasn’t going to leave her. That she was sure of.

Vera glanced at him. He didn’t seem as nervous as her, but he could be hiding it better. She was usually good at concealing whatever she felt but this was different. They were waiting to know if they were going to have a _baby_. Even the Grand Magus couldn’t hide her emotions this time.

“That’s it, I can’t wait any longer,” she suddenly shot up and stomped into the bathroom. Hamish rushed after her, clearly not wanting her to face the results on her own.

There were three pregnancy tests on the counter next to the sink. Hamish had actually bought her three, like he had first promised. “To really be sure,” he had said after he had gotten back from the drug store.

Vera didn’t know which one to check first, so she ran her gaze over them all.

All positive.

She gasped.

She picked up two of them, one in each hand. The first was a standard one with two lines on it whereas the other said “Pregnant!” with a smiley face next to it on the small screen.

The third one was standard, too, and its second line was a little bit lighter, but the test was still positive.

“Oh my God,” Vera whispered. This time the tears she felt on her cheeks were of joy and not of pain. She felt Hamish right next to her and she offered one of the tests to him even though she knew he had already seen it.

He took the test and she raised her head to look at him through the mirror and saw there were tears in his eyes, too.

“We’re having a baby?” he breathed out, still a little uncertain of what she would answer.

“Yes,” Vera nodded, determined, her mind finally clear from all doubt. This was her baby, and no-one was going to take them away from her.

Well, they were Hamish’s, too, but she could share.

He let out a relieved laugh, wrapping his arms around her. “We’re having a baby,” he repeated, this time as a statement.

Vera turned in his embrace and kissed him, holding the back of his head with one hand while the other still held the positive test in it. They were going to have a baby.

* * *

Vera was sitting on the bed on top of the covers, wearing only a white dress shirt and her underwear, as she finished up on her work. She was propped up on some pillows against the headboard, going through papers she had to review for an upcoming meeting. Missing work meant she had even more things to catch up on and her next day would be filled with extra tasks.

Hamish had just entered their bedroom when he saw Vera on the bed. He couldn’t resist the temptation and immediately crawled over to her, flopping on his stomach beside her, his head right next to her stomach.

Vera moved her gaze from the papers to him and raised an eyebrow.

Hamish didn’t pay any attention to her as he raised the shirt she was wearing – his shirt by the looks of it – to reveal her still flat belly.

“You do realize you look like an idiot?” Vera snorted, but Hamish shushed her. He had just gotten out of the shower, so he was only wearing a pair of pajama pants and his hair was still damp and sticking in all directions after he had towel dried it.

He touched Vera’s abdomen lightly with his fingers which made her shiver and goosebumps appear all over her skin.

“Sorry,” he apologized, raising his hand and looking up at her.

“It’s okay,” she answered, placing his hand back on her belly. “It’s yours, too.”

“When do you think we made her?” he mused.

“Her?” Vera tilted her head in question.

Hamish shrugged as much as he could while lying down. “I don’t know. It just felt right.”

“Is that some werewolf sense?”

He chuckled. “I don’t think it works like that.”

Now that he knew she was pregnant he could smell it a little. It was still subtle, and he probably wouldn’t have been able to recognize it if he didn’t know, but it was there, under the surface.

Hamish felt a little stupid for not realizing she could be pregnant. He had been worried about her for a while, but pregnancy hadn’t even crossed his mind. They had always been careful, but he knew no protection was hundred percent effective.

When Vera had finally said it out loud, he had been shocked. He really had given up on the idea of children when he had become a knight and Cassie had died. A family of his own was something his parents had always wanted for him – and he had also wanted it back then – but life had intervened and taken that away. He hadn’t minded much. By the way things used to be then, he wouldn’t have lived long, anyway.

But now everything was different, and he was going to become a father. He was happy, deliriously happy. He didn’t want to show too much of it, though, because he knew Vera had her demons, and it wasn’t as simple for her as it was for him. Her past was still haunting her and letting go of that fear was going to take time.

Still, he was going to show her they would be okay, and their baby would have the best parents ever. Or at least the best mother. He had seen how she was with Jack, and even Randall, and her mother instincts were no joke.

“To answer your question,” Vera continued after a while, placing the papers on her nightstand and lowering herself until she was lying on her side in front of him. “Probably sometime during those weeks I was really stressed about the new semester.”

“It must have been that time I made you come four times,” he smirked at her.

“Hamish!” she exclaimed in shock, shoving at him. He laughed and turned around to lie on his back.

“You weren’t complaining.”

“No, I wasn’t."

In a flash she straddled his hips and bent down to kiss him. He responded immediately, running his hands all over her body and her bare legs. As his hand was snaking its way to her breast, Vera stopped him by taking a hold of his wrist.

“No,” she pulled away from the kiss.

“Off limits?” he questioned, panting a little after their heavy make out session.

“They are really sore,” she pouted.

The concern was back on his face, but she bent down again to kiss it away.

“I’m fine, you’ll just have to stay clear of them for a bit,” she told him, resting her forehead on his.

“There are going to be a lot of changes, are there?”

“You have no idea.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I constantly have to add these chapters twice because ao3 won't update the feed the first time?? Has anyone else had this problem lately?

Vera stood in front of her mirror in the bedroom, staring at her reflection. She was supposed to do her hair and make-up but currently she was poking at her stomach with a frown on her face.

“Do you see anything different?” she asked. She had dressed in her favorite black pencil skirt and a white blouse but when she had remembered the pregnancy, she had gotten self-conscious.

“No,” Hamish shouted from the bathroom.

“You aren’t even looking!” Vera shouted back, still staring at her stomach.

He appeared in the doorway. “Because I know,” he answered, stepping into the bedroom. “You’re seven weeks pregnant, and the baby is the size of a blueberry, so no, you can’t see anything yet.”

Vera looked up. “Blueberry? How do you know that?”

She had had an appointment with her ob-gyn a few days prior and they had finally gotten to know how far along she was. Apparently, her theory about conceiving during the first week of the semester had been correct. Her due date was June 8th and the baby was developing well.

Hamish flushed a little. “I might have subscribed to one of those pregnancy email newsletter things,” he admitted quietly.

“Really?” Vera asked, an amused smile spreading on her lips. Damn him for being so adorable!

He nodded, smiling as well. “Seeing that little smudge on the screen made me feel things I have never felt before.”

Vera understood that. The love she had felt seeing their baby during the ultrasound and hearing the heartbeat had made her cry immediately. She had squeezed Hamish’s hand tightly and when she had glanced at him, she had seen him crying as well.

“And since you’re the one carrying the baby,” he continued, “I thought I’d try to do my part and take care of you.”

Vera had no idea how to reply to that so she walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply.

Then she suddenly pulled back, looking at him with wide eyes. “Oh God, you’re going to become one of those dorky dads, aren’t you?”

* * *

Surprisingly enough, everything seemed to go back to normal after finding out about the pregnancy. Vera wasn’t showing yet and she and Hamish were the only ones who knew. She had asked him not to tell anyone until she was in her second trimester and was sure everything was going well. She couldn’t help but be afraid something would go wrong. She had been told she and the baby were healthy and there was nothing to worry about, but her mind still couldn’t stop thinking about different horrible scenarios where she would lose her baby.

Luckily Hamish was there to remind her none of those things would happen, not while he was around.

Currently Vera was sitting at her desk in the reliquary, going through a spell book and trying to find a specific spell one Magistratus had asked about. She had already gone through three other books and was starting to think the spell didn’t even exist.

She was feeling surprisingly well. The morning sickness she had felt during the morning had disappeared around noon and she was finally able to eat something without throwing it all up. She had already had to powder a few people at the faculty after they had seen her dart into the bathroom with a hand in front of her mouth. She didn’t need the gossip and the stories she knew would start circulating immediately if she let them keep their memories.

The morning sickness was not something she had missed. She had also not missed the constant need to pee and the fatigue that made her want to take a nap every two hours. A few times she had almost given in and curled up in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the reliquary just to get some rest, but she knew someone would surely choose that exact moment to enter the room.

Her breasts were still really sore, too. She was sure they had already grown in size, so much that she had had to buy a few new pairs of bras because her old ones were too uncomfortable. She wasn’t enjoying it, but Hamish didn’t seem to mind too much. She had seen him stare at her breasts a little too long a couple of times. The only downside for him was that she still didn’t let him touch them.

Vera was so deep in her own thoughts that she completely failed to notice someone entering the room until they were standing right in front of the desk.

“Gummy bears?” she heard Jack’s voice ask, and her head shot up from the book she was reading.

“What?” she asked back, startled.

“You’re eating gummy bears,” he pointed at the bag of candies next to her on the table.

“Oh,” she breathed. How was she going to explain that one?

“I needed some sugar. Want some?” She offered the bag to him and watched as he fished out a few bears with a confused yet suspicious expression on his face.

It wasn’t Vera’s fault that she craved gummy bears. Yet another fun symptom to add to the list.

Instead of saying anything, Jack sat down in one of the chairs and tilted his head, watching her with interest.

Vera tried to continue working, but after a small silence she had to speak up. “Is there are a reason you’re here, Mr. Morton?”

“I was supposed to meet with a couple of acolytes in the Temple,” he explained. “But they haven’t showed up.”

“So, you decided to come here?” she raised an eyebrow, looking at her disciple with mild annoyance.

“I was bored.”

Vera shut the book and placed her hands on top. “I don’t think I can help with that.”

“You already are,” he answered and reached over the desk to take the bag of gummy bears, throwing a few of the candies in his mouth right away.

She rolled her eyes. He was an idiot but for some reason she couldn't help but like him.

“So, what’s up with you and Hamish?” Jack then asked with a sly smirk. “Anything interesting happening?”

That got Vera’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“Just curious,” he shrugged. “He doesn’t come to the Den that much anymore, so I thought he must be busy with you.”

“Well, we both have a lot of work to do.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”

Vera looked at him, pursing her lips. “You can smell it, too, can’t you?” she finally asked. Hamish had mentioned she smelled different now and apparently the scent was getting stronger every day.

Jack nodded. “I just want you to say it.”

She relented with a huff and took her phone from her bag, opening the case a little and fishing out the small sonogram photo. She had used magic to make it smaller so it fit inside her phone case. It was a place no-one would check, but she could still carry it with her wherever she went.

She slid the photo across the table to him.

“Wow,” he whispered. “Is that the baby?” he raised the photo closer to his eyes, trying to see the small smudge better.

“Yes, I’m seven weeks pregnant,” she told him. For some reason saying it out loud to him felt okay. She even felt happy that he knew. “How long have you known?”

“Not long, I was only sure when I came here and saw you eating those gummy bears,” he explained. “Also, Hamish has been walking around with a stupid grin on his face for a couple of weeks now.”

Vera smiled. “Yeah, can’t really blame him.”

“So, you’re really having a baby?” Jack asked, giving the photo back to Vera, watching as she placed it back inside her phone case.

“Yes, we are,” she answered, including Hamish in her statement. He had as big of a role in it as she did. “If everything goes well, that is,” she then added as an afterthought.

“And you’re okay?” Jack inquired.

The fact that he had actually seen and felt her pain meant she didn’t have to explain anything to him. At least one good thing had come out of that creepy tree cult.

“I’m getting there,” she answered truthfully. She had good days and bad days. On her bad days, she needed Hamish to constantly tell her everything was going to be fine and nothing bad was going to happen. Her good days were better. She was able to look forward to their future and dream about small fingers wrapped around her own as she lay on the bed looking down at her baby.

“And he knows?”

“He knows everything.”

Jack sat quietly in the chair for a moment, but then sent her a genuine happy smile. “Congratulations, you deserve to be happy.”

“Thank you,” Vera smiled back, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “Damn hormones,” she muttered, reaching for a tissue before Jack could see her cry.

“O-kay, I’m gonna go before this gets any weirder,” he announced, standing up. “I need to go punish some acolytes.”

“No hurting them,” Vera ordered, pointing her finger at him. “I mean it.”

“Of course, Grand Magus,” he bowed sarcastically, and Vera made a show of rolling her eyes to hide how emotional she was feeling.

“And no telling anyone, either,” she continued, giving him a serious look. The other knights would probably figure it out, too, but at least she had a little bit of time before that happened.

Jack nodded his head and then skipped away, leaving Vera alone in the reliquary. Once she was sure he was gone and couldn’t hear, she let the tears fall freely.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third time adding this chapter... does it update now?

Hamish woke up suddenly, groggily raising his head from the pillow and looking around. He saw it was still dark outside and the clock next to him on the bedside table read 5:13. He was confused. He didn’t know why he was awake as there seemed to be no threats in sight.

Slowly he started to realize that Tundra must have woken him, telling him something was wrong. He sat up fully and only then saw the other side of the bed empty. Immediately he threw the covers aside and stood up, concern filling him. Where could she have gone?

He didn’t have to wonder long as the faint sound of her retching in the bathroom reached his ears. He sighed in relief. Of course. Her morning sickness had been pretty bad for about a month, but Hamish had hoped it would have lessened now that she had entered her second trimester.

He headed to the bathroom and opened the door, stepping inside. Vera raised her head when he came in, but sadly the motion seemed to cause her nausea to return and force her to throw up once again. Hamish rushed over to hold her hair and rub her back while she heaved over the toilet. Once she was finished, she slumped against him.

“I hate this,” she muttered, holding her stomach.

“I know,” he replied, frowning a little. “The worst should have been over by now.”

Vera huffed. “Tell that to the baby.”

During the last seven weeks she had spent most of her mornings in the bathroom. Sometimes she had also gotten sick during the evening, but luckily Hamish had always been there to help her. He hated seeing her so miserable. He had even told her he would gladly suffer some of her nausea so she wouldn’t have to. Vera had then joked that she could try and find a spell to make it happen but unfortunately knew such spell didn’t exist. Pregnancy wasn’t a sickness she could be cured from and transferring it to another person wasn’t possible.

When Vera was sure she wasn’t going to throw up anymore, Hamish helped her stand up. He guided her to the sink where she could rinse her mouth while he flushed the toilet.

“I tried to be quiet and let you sleep,” she admitted quietly while she dried her hands. She was no longer embarrassed about him seeing her get sick like she had been at the beginning. He had had to tell her many times that she didn’t have to try and be tough in front of him. He was the cause of why she was in this situation in the first place, so it was just fair he helped her, and that included the icky parts.

“Tundra woke me,” he explained. He had an enhanced hearing, too, but since the wolf inside him was always alert, he didn’t need to use it while he slept. He trusted Tundra to wake him if something happened.

Vera grunted but was too tired to give a proper response. She looked like she was about to fall asleep on her feet, so Hamish picked her up – despite her protests – and carried her back to their bed.

“I can walk,” she mumbled, but Hamish just chuckled when a big yawn left her mouth right after.

“It’s still too early to get up so let’s go back to sleep.”

He placed her down on the bed and then got in beside her. She scooted closer to him right away and placed her head on his chest, promptly falling asleep with a small “Love you” leaving her lips.

Hamish smiled, whispering it back and pulling the blanket over them, thanking Tundra for waking him and making sure was okay.

* * *

When Hamish entered the antechamber, he saw the rest of the knights already sitting there, casually chatting with each other. Randall was trying to convince Gabrielle to sit next to him, but the newest knight was clearly not in the mood and did not move from her place next to Lilith. Jack was following their bickering from the side, occasionally snickering to himself.

“Oh, you’re already here,” Hamish commented as he stepped down the stairs.

“Vera said it was urgent so here we are!” Jack spread out his hands and gestured around him. “And she’s nowhere to be seen.”

“She’s coming,” Hamish assured him. The morning had been hard for her, so she had had to postpone a few meetings and was running late because of it.

“And she let you out?” Randall asked in turn, smirking at him.

“Randall,” Hamish warned him. He didn’t want the usual quarrel that often happened when they talked about Vera.

“We haven’t seen you in weeks!” Randall complained with a whine. “I know you live with her now and actually _like_ her, but you’re supposed to be our leader!”

“I have been busy,” Hamish answered. For some miraculous reason, the rest of knights still did not know about the baby. Jack had managed not to say anything, and they hadn’t figured it out themselves, either. It could have been because they simply hadn’t been around her much in the last seven or so weeks. And if they had been in contact, they either hadn’t smelled the pregnancy or didn’t know what it meant.

“Doing what?” Lilith spoke up this time.

Before he could answer, Randall was shouting “Vera!” with a laugh and high-fiving Lilith.

“Stop that,” Hamish snarled, his teeth breaking through and his eyes flashing silver.

“Oh wow, calm down!” Randall tried to placate him, standing up and raising his hands. “I’m sorry,” he apologized but didn’t sound sincere at all.

“Don’t talk about her like that,” Hamish said darkly, his teeth and eyes returning back to normal. Apparently, Tundra wasn’t a fan of anyone badmouthing Vera, either.

“Okay, okay, I won’t,” Randall nodded, this time looking a bit concerned himself. “What is going on with you? Your hide has never done that before.”

“He’s just a little overprotective,” Jack offered from behind him.

“Why?” Randall turned to look at his friend. “You know something, don’t you?” he pointed at him.

Jack raised his hands. “Sorry, I promised. Otherwise she would probably feed me to a leprechaun, and this time for real.”

“You’re right about that Mr. Morton,” Vera announced as she entered the Temple. She walked over to Hamish, offering him her coat and straightened her black dress. It was hugging her curves and especially her baby bump which had officially ‘popped’ that morning.

When Hamish had gotten out of the shower in the morning, he had seen her staring at it in the mirror. Her belly no longer looked like she had eaten too many burritos but more like there was an actual baby inside. He had of course known it the whole time but seeing it had been a completely different thing.

“Everything okay?” Hamish asked, taking the coat.

“Yes,” she exhaled deeply. “I got it all under control.”

She turned her gaze back to her disciples and tilted her head in amusement as she saw their shocked faces.

“Uhm, Hamish? I think you need to reboot your friends,” she teased.

All the knights were staring at her, or rather, her midsection. Jack was the only one who didn’t seem shocked, but there was still a flicker of surprise in his eyes as he eyed her stomach.

However, Randall was the first one to say anything.

“Holy shit,” he breathed out, his eyes wide like saucers. “You knocked her up?”

“Mr. Carpio!” Vera warned him with a stern look. He opened his mouth a few times but couldn’t come up with a retort, so he gave up and sat back down, his mind visibly going through different emotions simultaneously.

“Congratulations, Grand Magus!” Gabrielle spoke up next, smiling widely. She really looked excited. “You, too, Hamish!”

“Thanks, Gabrielle,” he smiled back at her. Getting his friends’ support felt great, even though he knew it would probably take some time for some of them to get used the idea of him having a child.

Vera also nodded, subconsciously placing her hand on her belly.

Next all of their eyes turned to Lilith, who still hadn’t said anything.

She looked back at them and then shrugged, “Cool.”

Hamish chuckled while Vera rolled her eyes.

“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl, yet?” Gabrielle gushed. “Oh, I want it to be a girl! Think of all the pretty dresses they make for babies!”

“We don’t know yet,” Hamish had to let her down.

“But they should be able to tell us during our next appointment,” Vera continued. “If we want to know, that is.”

“You have to! I need to know if I’m getting a niece or a nephew,” Gabrielle nodded in excitement.

Hamish laughed but Vera’s eyes widened in alarm. “Oh God, the baby is going to have _werewolves_ as their aunts and uncles.”

Hamish turned to look at her in amusement. "What's wrong with that?"

She just raised her brow at him, silently telling him he should know, and turned around, making her way to the reliquary, trusting the others to follow her.

Hamish told his friends to get moving, too, and this time no-one questioned his leadership. Randall was the only one who grumbled something about him being the daddy-wolf now but got quiet after Gabrielle punched him.

When everyone had gathered around Vera's desk in the reliquary, she got back to business, her Grand Magus tone back in effect.

“So, there is someone on campus performing unsanctioned magic and I need you to find out who that is and bring them to me."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while to understand the layout of Vera's house but I think I got it now. In 2x08 at 17:19 there is a wide shot of the house and you can see another door (not the one Alyssa used) which seems to be the main entrance? There is a staircase leading to it as well.
> 
> Also, I did not plan writing this chapter at first :D After the previous chapter I just felt like Hamish and Randall needed to have a heartfelt conversation and this was born.

Hamish raised his head from the book he was reading when he heard the doorbell ring. He looked at his watch and frowned. Vera wasn’t supposed to be home yet and if she had lost her keys, she would have called or texted him. He wasn’t expecting anyone, either, and wasn’t used to anyone coming to the house unannounced. He hadn’t officially moved in with Vera, as his actual address was still at his apartment, but in practice he had lived with her for the better part of the year, so if someone was looking for him in particular, it had to be someone that knew he was there.

Hamish set the book on the coffee table and walked over to the door. Through the window he could see Randall fidgeting outside. It was December, so it was already dark outside, even though it wasn’t even 6 pm yet.

“Randall?” he questioned as he opened the door. “What are you doing here? We hadn’t planned anything, had we?”

He tried to remember if they had some knight business to take care of but came up empty.

“No, I just had to talk to you,” the younger wolf admitted, stepping inside.

Hamish furrowed his brow, watching him. He wasn’t joking around like he usually was, and he seemed conflicted.

“I was just thinking about cooking dinner. Do you want to stay?”

Hamish figured Vera wouldn’t mind. His friends were a part of their family after all.

“Sure,” Randall shrugged. “Whatcha making?” he asked as they made their way to the kitchen.

“Thought of going with something simple. How does Spaghetti Bolognese sound?”

“Fancy.”

Hamish chuckled. “Well, maybe if you’re used to pizza and hamburgers from the nearest bar.”

“Hey, that’s quality food!” Randall defended his meal choices. He sat down on a stool on the other side of the kitchen island while Hamish started chopping some onions and carrots.

“So, this is what you’re doing nowadays?” he wondered, spinning around with the chair and looking at the room. “Being a house maid?”

Hamish hummed. “Vera has a late meeting today, so I promised to make something. She’s a good cook, too.”

“With a fancy kitchen,” Randall nodded. He kept sitting on the stool, watching as Hamish started to fry the onions, carrots and meat.

“Why are you here Randall?” Hamish asked after a small silence. He checked if the water on the stove was boiling enough before he added the pasta.

“I needed to see this myself,” Randall admitted. “I guess I just never realized how serious you and Vera were. I always assumed you were just angry fucking each other and then decided to continue it when you saw how convenient it was.”

“We were never angry.”

“But you were fucking?”

“Randall.”

He raised his hands in defeat. “Sorry, just asking.”

Hamish frowned. He thought they all knew how serious his relationship with Vera had become. Sure, it had first started as a physical relationship, born out of mutual attraction and them both seeking relief and comfort from each other, but it had quickly morphed into something more.

“I admit it was mainly sex at first, but it changed pretty quickly.”

“And now you’re having a _baby_?” Randall sounded a little hesitant to ask it.

Hamish nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. “Yes. We didn’t plan it but now I couldn’t imagine anything better.”

For four months now, he had walked around with a stupid grin on his face, thinking about Vera and their unborn baby. He was finally getting his family and he couldn’t be happier.

The younger man looked at him with wide eyes. “You really love her, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Hamish furrowed his brow once more. Wasn’t that clear?

“Okay,” Randall nodded, but Hamish saw there was something bothering him.

“Is there something wrong about that?” he asked, moving around the kitchen picking the ingredients he needed for the sauce.

“No, no,” Randall shook his head. “It’s just that she’s the leader of The Order, which used to be our _enemy_. It’s a little hard to let that go.”

“We haven’t been enemies in a while. Not since Vera became the leader.”

They’d been a part of the Order for over a year already and most of the members were no longer against them, or even afraid of them.

“I guess,” Randall shrugged again.

Hamish sighed and placed his spatula down. “There’s something else bothering you, too, isn’t there?”

Randall squirmed on his seat. “You are supposed to be our leader, but you’re never even _there_. I had to come all the way here to even find you.”

Hamish smiled sadly. “Vera has had a rough time with her pregnancy. I’ve had to be here helping her. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be with the knights that much.”

“Really?” Randall asked in surprise. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, just normal pregnancy symptoms. They can get pretty bad sometimes.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Hamish smiled at him. “It’s okay, we didn’t want to tell anyone until now. Vera has some trauma from her past and didn’t want to say anything until she was in her second trimester.”

It wasn’t something he could share with him without her permission, so he chose to keep the details to a minimum.

“Oh,” Randall swallowed. Hamish saw him thinking about what to say, so he concentrated on the food and the tomato sauce he needed.

“Jack knows, doesn’t he?” the young wolf finally asked. “That’s why he’s always been on her side.”

Hamish nodded. “He knows.”

But he knew it was more than that. Vera and Jack had always had a special relationship and he assumed it was because Vera saw something similar in him and wanted to protect him. She was almost acting motherly around Jack, and it was one of the reasons why Hamish knew she would be an amazing mother to their child.

As if on cue, both Hamish and Randall heard her car drive into the yard and soon after she was coming up the stairs, her heels clanking on the concrete.

“Hamish?” she called from the door, when she heard noises but couldn’t see him.

“In the kitchen,” was his answer.

“Great, I’m starving,” she announced as she walked into the room but then stopped when she saw they weren’t alone. “Oh, Randall’s here.”

The werewolf waved at her from his place by the counter and Hamish grimaced a little. “I hope it’s alright.”

“It’s fine,” she answered, but Hamish could hear the hesitation and confusion in her voice.

Vera walked over to him and he gave her a quick kiss before turning back to his cooking. “Can you set the table?” he asked her, and she nodded in response.

Randall continued to watch them silently, seeing how familiar they were with each other. They moved in synchronization around the kitchen, knowing where the other was going and when to step aside. Occasionally his gaze moved to Vera’s bump, which was more visible than ever in her dress. Hamish had now noticed her picking clothes that highlighted her belly instead of hiding it, and he had to admit it made the man – and the wolf – in him pleased.

Once the food was ready and the table set, they all sat down to eat. Vera hadn’t been joking when she had said she was starving as she inhaled her food in a flash and continued with another serving.

“What?” she asked when she noticed the others looking at her. “I’m eating for two.”

Hamish chuckled, shaking his head. “Nothing, eat away.”

Randall still hadn’t said anything, and Hamish could see Vera getting annoyed.

“I don’t have to be a wolf to sense the anxiety coming off of you,” she addressed Randall, not taking her eyes off her meal. “So, spill it.”

“Why did you start sleeping with him?”

Vera’s head rose in surprise and even Hamish looked at his friend with wide eyes.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” she finally answered.

“Sorry,” Randall mumbled his apology.

“What I _can_ say is that I have never had any ill intentions towards him or any of you, if that’s what you were worried about,” Vera continued. “Other than wanting to kill all of you after you robbed my vault.”

Hamish winced and when Randall saw it, he must have realized what had happened.

“Wait a minute,” he turned to Hamish with a laugh. “You fucked her and then _robbed_ her?”

Now he really looked amused while the older wolf scratched his head in embarrassment. “Wasn’t my finest moment.”

“Oh my God,” Randall continued to laugh. Vera, on the other hand, didn’t look amused and instead stood up from the table.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” she announced.

“Do you need anything?” Hamish asked, but she shook her head.

“No, I’m good. You just keep entertaining our guest,” she smirked before walking away, heading for the bedroom.

“Is she angry?” Randall whispered after she was gone.

“No,” Hamish laughed and got up to gather their plates. “You don’t want to see her when she gets angry.”

Randall helped him clean the table and put the leftovers away before he announced that he should probably get back to the Den before the others started to wonder where he had disappeared.

“Did you get the answers you were searching for?” Hamish asked him as he was putting on his coat.

“Yeah, I think I got it,” he nodded. “Congrats on the baby, by the way,” he then added, giving Hamish a small smile. “You seem happy.”

“I am,” Hamish smiled back. “I’ll try to come by the Den soon. I can’t leave you by yourselves for too long. Otherwise you’ll end up destroying something.”

“Ha ha,” Randall answered him, and allowed Hamish to see him out.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” was the last thing Hamish heard before he closed the door with a laugh. He did miss the knights and their craziness sometimes.

Once he was alone in the hallway, he listened carefully and heard the shower still going. He started heading for the bathroom, already buttoning down his shirt, knowing how stressed she had been lately.

Even though they were now having a baby, they were still the best stress relief for each other, and Hamish was going to enjoy it as long as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I ended up having to change the rating of this fic. Oops. But I don't think you'll mind.
> 
> Also, I have some bad news for you. As of tomorrow I'll be working almost every evening till Christmas which means my updates won't be as frequent as they have been :(

Vera had never felt this horny.

She had never been celibate, but her life had never revolved around sex, either. Since meeting Hamish, it had become a more frequent part of her life, though, especially after they had officially gotten together, but she was still able to survive without sex. She was not someone who got _horny_.

Overall, her pregnancy symptoms had been pretty normal. Her back had started to ache a little and the heartburn she felt after eating was getting stronger each week. It was really annoying as she was constantly hungry and craving weird foods, so eating less wasn’t an option.

But at least she was able to deal with those symptoms.

What she was not able to deal with was the constant urge to rip Hamish’s clothes off and climb him like a tree.

So, that was what she had decided to do.

Vera had planned it well. She had an hour between her two meetings at the Temple and she had texted him to come to the reliquary as she had something important to tell him. Then she was going to jump his bones.

In the end, it hadn’t turned out exactly like she had planned.

She had jumped on him pretty much immediately, but instead of her overpowering him, she had ended up lying on her desk, her dress pulled up to her waist, her panties tossed somewhere on the floor, as Hamish moved inside her.

He leaned down to kiss the underside of her jaw and then moved to her neck which earned him another moan.

“Fuck,” she breathed out, when he thrust harder. She gripped the edge of the desk with one hand, the other finding its way into his hair.

Hamish managed to raise his head and look her in the eyes when he felt her tightening around him. Her legs started to shake, and it didn’t take long until she was coming, more moans escaping her mouth.

Hamish followed soon after, and in the end they were both just holding each other tightly.

“Is this what you were looking for?” he finally asked after they had come down from their high.

“Mmh good enough,” she answered with a smirk, and he leaned down to kiss her, whispering “Minx,” against her lips.

* * *

Vera had already fixed her dress and located her underwear, and she was currently fixing Hamish’s vest, when the doors to the reliquary suddenly opened.

“Why does it reek of sex in here?”

Vera and Hamish were standing beside her desk and immediately turned to Lilith, who had asked the question, and saw her, Randall and Jack entering the room.

“You did perform the incantation, didn’t you?” Hamish hissed into Vera’s ear.

“I did!” she hissed back, confused as to why it hadn’t worked. It should have. Or were her pregnancy hormones just too much for it?

“You do realize we can still hear you?” Randall continued the teasing as he plopped down on one of the chairs.

Jack was standing close to the doors with a horrified expression on his face. When Lilith saw it, she started laughing. “Oh, come on, Jack! I’m sure they’re done.”

“That’s enough!” Vera finally snapped, walking back to her chair and sitting down.

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t be banging each other in the reliquary where everyone can just walk in,” Lilith answered, sitting down on the other chair next to Randall.

“Lilith,” Hamish tried this time, but she just smirked at him.

Vera was really starting to regret asking the knights to come to the Temple. She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled deeply before raising her head.

“Technically, this is my office and not everyone can just walk in here,” she explained, her glare jumping from disciple to disciple.

“We did,” Jack finally spoke up, still too afraid to walk closer.

“They already made a baby, Jack,” Lilith told him with a laugh. “You know they have sex, and a lot by the looks of it, or should I say _smell_.”

It made Randall snicker, but he quieted when Vera sent him a death glare.

“We can of course keep talking about our sex lives if that’s what you’re so interested in _or_ we can actually move on and talk about what’s important,” she tapped the table with her long nails.

“Yes, let’s move on, please,” Jack pleaded from his place by the door. Randall and Lilith also agreed, but Lilith still sent Hamish another smirk.

Vera nodded and straightened her back, leaning forward in the chair. “So, tell me, why haven’t you caught her yet?”

The magic user that had been causing havoc on campus for a while now had still not been identified. Vera was getting frustrated but also eager to know what the knights had found.

“She’s good at disappearing just when we’re about to catch her,” Randall explained. “It’s like she knows we’re coming.”

“But you’re sure it’s a female?”

“Yes, at least she smells like a woman,” Jack answered and finally stepped closer to them.

Randall nodded. “She hasn’t killed anyone- “

“Yet,” Lilith interrupted him.

Randall glared at her a little before continuing, “but she seems to be performing similar spells in some pattern. Fire has been a dominant part in most of them. We also heard her chanting in a language we couldn’t recognize.”

“Could be a ritual of some kind,” Vera mused, deep in thought.

“For what?” Lilith sat up. “Don’t say demon, please,” she pleaded. She had spent time in the demon realm and was finally freed of the connection. She had said she didn’t want anyone to drag her back. The demon mark on her face was still visible even though the wolves were the only ones who could see it.

“I’m not sure,” Vera had to admit. It wasn’t something she herself had come across before.

“Could it be a Praxis member?” Hamish spoke up.

She shook her head. “Shouldn’t be. We took care of them and the ones whose memories couldn’t be modified are now working with us or with some other magic society.”

Luckily most of the Praxis members had been just normal people. They hadn’t wanted to kill anyone. They had wanted to help others, so when they had learned about Salvador’s and Alyssa’s real plans, they had wanted out. The few bad apples in the mix had pretty much all caused their own demises.

“So, what do we do?” Lilith asked. She seemed determined to get the situation handled.

“I need you to keep an eye on her,” Vera answered. “But if she really is summoning something, or someone, don’t get too close!”

“I think we can handle her,” Randall huffed.

“Her, maybe, but not necessarily the thing she’s summoning.”

“For once, I think I agree with her,” Lilith nodded in Vera’s direction.

Jack also nodded, considering it his order. “We’ll make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone, Grand Magus.”

Vera smiled at him, waving her hand and opening the doors, silently letting them know they were done.

After all the younger wolves had left, Hamish turned to look at Vera still sitting in her chair.

“You know something, don’t you?”

“I have a theory,” she nodded, furrowing her brow. “Do you happen to know any Finnish?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I'm bringing my country's mythology into this.
> 
> A little hint of what's coming:
> 
> _Nouse lempi liehumahan,  
>  Kunnia kukoistamahan!  
> Kule kuu, palate päivä,  
> Pala nuorten miesten mieli!  
> Sydän syttyköön tulehen,  
> Povi polttohon kovahan,  
> Vatsa valkian väkehen,  
> Mieli melki heltehesen,  
> Jott’ ei saisi öissä maata  
> Eikä päivällä levätä!  
> Palo tuli, palo taula,  
> Pala nuorten miesten mieli!  
> Paras sulle, ei pahinta,  
> Paras poikien seasta,  
> Kiltin kirkkorahvahasta,  
> Sorehin sotaväestä,  
> Verevin vesien päältä!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I missed writing this! And I missed seeing your comments and thoughts! 🤗 I was able to write a little during the week and then I finished this today. It has a lot of information and I hope you like it!

Vera’s desk in the reliquary was filled with books. Some had even fallen on the floor as Hamish went through them one by one, never finding the information he was looking for.

“What have you found?” Vera asked as she walked back into the room from the vault.

“Nothing much,” Hamish answered, flipping through yet another book, and then closing it with a sigh. “Did you know Finnish people were known to be powerful witches, so powerful even Vikings feared them and didn’t dare to enter their land?”

Vera nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard about that.”

“But they don’t have a Temple there, do they?”

He had never heard of there being one. He did know about Temples in Germany and Brazil but not Finland.

“No,” she shook her head. “The way they perform magic is different from ours. It’s all about nature there and most Finnish practitioners live in solitude.”

Hamish furrowed his brow. “Nature? How?”

“Basically, they draw their power from nature. They don’t need sacrifices for that. Also, most of their spells are sung, using ancient songs and poems in a specific pattern.”

“How do you know all this?” he tilted his head in confusion.

“Being the Grand Magus requires me to know these things,” she shrugged with a small smile. “I don’t know everything, clearly, but I know the basics.”

“Is that why you knew this relates to Finnish magic somehow?” Hamish asked, taking another book from the pile closest to him and skimming through a few pages, but then putting it down when he realized he couldn’t understand a word it said. Apparently Finnish wasn’t one of the languages Tundra knew.

Vera nodded, walking closer to him. “Yes, I have heard about a fiend from the Finnish mythology and I think it’s summoned the way Randall described.”

“With fire,” Hamish mused, pursing his lips a little.

“Exactly. Also, I think you can put those books away because I found the one we were looking for.”

She lifted the book in her hand with a satisfied smile and pointed at the table with her fingers, telling him to move the other books.

When there was enough space, Vera placed the book on the desk and opened it, the pages revealing a picture of a demonic being, surrounded by fire. It had wings on its back and horns on its head. Another picture next to it also showed a birdlike creature, hovering in the air.

Hamish noticed himself gulping. “So, that’s what we’re up against?”

Even Tundra was getting anxious inside him.

“Not exactly,” Vera shook her head. “The book says the being is called Lempo, and it’s the god of love and fertility in Finnish mythology.”

“Love? Isn’t that supposed to be a positive thing?”

“Again, not exactly. The Finnish word _lempi_ doesn’t refer to romantic love, but love that is erratic, sexual, passionate, consuming and difficult to control.”

 _So, you, during the last few days,_ Hamish thought with a small grin but didn’t say anything out loud, letting Vera continue her explanation.

“The love Lempo controls and gives people is all or nothing. It can easily make people go insane with desire, jealousy or heartbreak. A woman who has gone through heartbreak and can’t heal from her loss can get possessed by Lempo. And a man who kills his rival or his wife when she tries to divorce him can also be possessed by Lempo.”

“So, we’re dealing with someone who is heartbroken?” Hamish asked with a bewildered look on his face. It wasn’t something they had dealt with before. Usually people were after power, not love.

“Could be, but I don’t think it’s that,” Vera answered and turned a few pages, pointing at the text. “According to this, it is possible to bewitch someone under the power of _lempi_ and Lempo. You could call out for Lempo to bewitch someone, to make them fall in love with you.”

Hamish nodded slowly. That did sound a little more believable. They turned a few more pages together and came across a long poem which seemed to confirm Vera’s theories. There was a translation added next to it, so they didn’t need to suddenly acquire the talent of reading old Finnish, although Hamish was sure Vera would have known an incantation for it if needed.

 _  
Nouse lempi liehumahan,  
_ _kunnia kukoistamahan!  
_ _Kule kuu, palate päivä,  
_ _Pala nuorten miesten mieli!  
_ _Sydän syttyköön tulehen,  
_ _povi polttohon kovahan,  
_ _vatsa valkian väkehen,  
_ _mieli melki heltehesen,  
_ _Jott’ ei saisi öissä maata  
_ _eikä päivällä levätä!  
_ _Palo tuli, palo taula,  
_ _Pala nuorten miesten mieli!  
_ _Paras sulle, ei pahinta,  
_ _Paras poikien seasta,  
_ _Kiltin kirkkorahvahasta,  
_ _Sorehin sotaväestä,  
_ _Verevin vesien päältä!  
  
_

_Rise love to burn wildly  
_ _honor to shine brightly!  
_ _Travel the moon, return the day  
_ _Burn the mind of young men!  
_ _Let the heart set ablaze  
_ _the chest into a consuming burn  
_ _the stomach full of the folk of fire  
_ _the mind under a scorching hotness  
_ _So that you can’t sleep during the night  
_ _nor rest during the day!  
_ _Burn fire, burn taula-primer  
_ _Burn the mind of young men!  
_ _The best for you, not the worst  
_ _The best among the young men  
_ _The kindest from the church crowd  
_ _The strongest one from the warriors_  
_The briskest from above the waters!  
_

After reading the whole thing through, Hamish finally spoke up. “Basically, what you’re saying is that some woman out there is doing all of this just to get someone to love her?”

“Seems so,” Vera agreed. “These beings can be deceiving, though, and cause more trouble. That is why we need to stop her as soon as possible.”

“Of course,” he nodded. It wasn’t even a question. “I assume that poem is some kind of a summoning spell.”

“Yes, and I know there must be a spell for a banishing ritual as well, but I didn’t see it in this book.”

Hamish glanced around the piles of books they had before announcing, “So, we find it.”

Vera sat down in her chair and started going through another book while Hamish browsed the shelves again, taking out every book that could mention something about Finnish or Scandinavian mythology. He also searched for books that could contain information about love spells and beings that controlled desire.

They worked for an hour without any results until Hamish could hear Vera shifting around in her chair.

“Really, Vera?” he raised his head from the current book he was reading to look at her flushed face.

“It’s not my fault!” she huffed, closing the book and slumping back in the chair. “I’ve been reading about sex for the past fifteen minutes!”

He could smell her arousal and couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Apparently, their small tryst earlier hadn’t been enough for her.

“This is getting ridiculous,” she mumbled, holding her head. “I can’t be this horny all the time!”

“We can go home if you want,” Hamish offered but she shook her head.

“We need to find the right book.”

“We have already gone through the whole reliquary and the vault. If it were here, we would have already found it.”

Vera sighed again, clearly coming to the same conclusion. She stood up, placing her book back on the table, and motioned for him to take a few steps back.

“ _Purgetur_ ,” she spoke, flicking her wrist a little, and suddenly all the books were gone from the table. Even the book Hamish had been holding was back on one of the shelves, like he had never even touched it.

“I still can’t believe you made us scrub the whole Temple,” he said, looking around the tidy room in awe, “when we could have used _that_.”

“You weren’t ready,” she answered, walking across the room to take her coat and shrugging it on.

“And now we are?” he raised a brow, also heading for his jacket and watching as Vera rolled her eyes at him.

“Let’s go,” she changed the topic, already walking out of the reliquary. “You promised me sex.”

Hamish had no answer for that, so he just watched her retreating back, shaking his head in amusement. Her hips swayed with every step she took, and it was clear she was doing it on purpose.

He might have stared for too long as she suddenly turned around, directing him a quick "Hurry up!" before continuing her way out of the Temple.

This part of her pregnancy was going to be a riot.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is filled with fluff and it even got a bit smutty 😏
> 
> Also, a small question. Does it snow in Belgrave?

Waking up next to Vera was Hamish’s favorite way to start the day.

Sleepy Vera was light years away from the severe Grand Magus or Chancellor persona she always presented when other people were around. When she had just woken up, she was clingy and didn’t want to let go of him. It was a side of her not many people got to see, and he was happy he was the one she chose to show it to.

Currently it was Saturday morning and they had nowhere to go. Vera was still asleep in his arms, her face burrowed in his neck. Hamish was half asleep himself, and seeing as it was still dark outside, he decided there was no reason to wake up just yet. He wrapped the comforter back around them, holding her tighter and dozed off, dreaming of little feet pitter-pattering on the floor as he chased after them.

The next time his eyes fluttered open it was already light outside. He felt Vera stirring in his arms and moving her head around, once again trying to escape the light. When she realized she couldn’t hide in his neck anymore, she turned on her other side away from the windows and sighed deeply.

Hamish let out a sleepy chuckle and scooted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her middle. One of his hands landed on her rounded belly and his eyes opened wide when he felt her bare skin under his fingers and he realized they were both naked under the covers. Quickly the memories from the previous night came rushing back and he remembered how they had both fallen asleep after their last round of lovemaking, not caring at all about their state of undress.

Vera had been so hungry for him she had kept him in bed the whole evening. It hadn’t been all sex, though. For a long time, they had just laid down together, talking about everything happening in their lives. Mostly their conversation had been about their unborn baby as Vera still had fears about the future and Hamish had tried his best to console her.

Now, she seemed content in his arms. He could feel she was awake, but trying not to show it, too embarrassed to admit she liked lying there, being held by him. She had come a long way in the past year but she could still be stubborn when it came to showing and receiving affection.

Still, Hamish had come to love all her quirks.

While she lay there, pretending to be asleep, he caressed her stomach lightly with his fingers, slowly moving them down to her hip. He could feel the tremors of pleasure travel through her body as she moaned quietly. She was so responsive now. It was like her senses were on overdrive.

“Morning,” he rasped, his face buried in her hair. He trailed his hand back up her body, but Vera stopped him with a grunt.

She took his hand and guided it back down, and he knew immediately what she wanted.

He moved his hand even lower while she widened her legs, giving him more space. When he finally touched her center, she jerked a little with a small moan, but then relaxed against him. He smiled, placing a small kiss to her hair, and added more pressure to his touch, rubbing her clit in a circular motion. It made her moan even louder.

“More,” she groaned, but Hamish shook his head.

“Shh, just feel,” he whispered in her ear, keeping the same steady pace of his fingers. She panted and tried to move her hips but he stilled her again, wordlessly telling her to trust him.

He knew she was getting closer to her climax when her breathing started getting more irregular. He decided to reward her and sped up the motion, and finally she let out a big gasp, her body shaking with the waves of her pleasure.

Hamish moved his hand to her lower stomach when the tremors eventually stopped and she let out a deep sigh.

He had been right. Waking up with her in his arms really was the best way to start the day.

After Vera had come down from her high, they lay together under the covers for many minutes. It was all quiet and Hamish almost fell asleep again when all of a sudden she went rigid in his arms and then sat up with a gasp.

Hamish was immediately on alert.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, also sitting up and taking her hand in his, turning her towards him. Concern filled his face as he watched her.

She was holding her stomach with wide eyes, her mouth opening and closing, but no words coming out.

“What is it?” Hamish asked again, frowning. Had he done something to hurt her?

“I felt the baby,” Vera finally whispered, her gaze moving from her belly to his eyes.

“Really?” his eyes widened, too, and he moved even closer to her.

“Yes, it was like a small flutter. Something moving inside. It’s gone now, though.”

She looked down at her stomach where her hand was still resting and let out a small laugh. Her eyes were wide with happiness and seeing it made a big smile spread on Hamish’s lips.

“You’re really sure? It wasn’t just the-”

“I know what an orgasm feels like!” she snapped at him. Then she realized what she had said when she saw Hamish biting his lip, trying not to laugh.

“You sure do,” he managed to say without laughing, grinning at her. Vera rolled her eyes, but Hamish saw she was just as amused as he was, and not at all mad at him.

It got confirmed when she quickly moved over to him and straddled his hips, pinning him to the bed. They were both still naked, her hair tousled from sleep, and he thought she looked gorgeous, especially when her rounded stomach pressed against him.

“But do _you_ know?” she asked him, raising one of her eyebrows. It was clearly a challenge, but she didn’t let him answer it as she immediately bent down to kiss him, biting his lower lip and getting a low moan in response.

Once again, they ended up exploring each other’s bodies throughout. But no matter how much Vera tried to make him forget everything, the thought of their baby moving and growing inside her did not leave Hamish’s mind.

He was still thinking about it when he walked over to the kitchen to make them breakfast. Vera was taking a shower – her _own_ shower, as she had sternly told him – so he had some time to whip them both omelets. He smiled to himself as he took out the ingredients from the fridge and started cooking.

It was a happy, carefree morning so he almost got a fright when Tundra suddenly woke up inside him. His eyes flashed silver as the wolf told him something was happening.

Immediately Hamish placed the bowl he had been holding onto the counter and looked around, listening carefully, but he couldn’t hear anything. The only noise in the house was Vera’s shower. Still, he trusted Tundra and decided to make sure they really were alone, and no-one was going to attack them.

He checked the whole house but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He kept feeling the wolf's unease inside him, though, so he continued his search, walking towards the door to the outside patio.

Hamish opened the door and stepped outside into the cold December air, and that was when he saw something.

It was a burned rose, lying on the ground, waiting for him. It looked like someone had deliberately placed it there.

Hamish looked around but didn't see anyone outside. There was no scent, either. The only sound he heard was wind rustling the bare trees behind the house.

Still, the evidence in front of him pointed at the truth.

Their mystery woman had been at the house.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates! Hyvää joulua! We celebrated on the 24th so I had time today to write while we ate leftovers and sat in the living room watching tv :D
> 
> Another fluffy chapter with some surprise guests!

“Can I help you?” Vera asked as she opened the door a little, trying not to let too much of the freezing air inside. She wrapped her long cardigan around her middle to escape the cold breeze and looked at the two people standing at the doorstep.

It was Christmas. Vera and Hamish had decided to spend the holiday at home, just the two of them. The rest of the knights were with their families, except for Jack who had been invited to join Randall’s family’s Christmas celebrations. Vera had thought of seeing her sister but decided that traveling through the world using the loom so often wasn’t the best idea.

So, she had been sitting on the couch, learning how to crochet small socks for the baby. She liked to knit and often made blankets, scarves and other bigger things, but crocheting tiny baby socks was a challenge. She had been enjoying it, though. It took her mind off the things that were worrying her and allowed her to relax.

That relaxed feeling, however, had flown out of the window when she had heard a sudden knock on the door. She had had no idea who to expect so it had made her nervous.

“I’m sorry, is Hamish Duke here?” the older woman in front of her asked, furrowing her brow and looking around.

“Oh,” Vera breathed, suddenly realizing she was most probably looking at Hamish’s parents. She hadn’t met them before. Hamish had said they were mostly away, either in Dubai or London or some other foreign city, and only came to see him a couple of times a year.

“We were told we could find him here since he wasn’t at his apartment.”

The woman, Hamish’s mother, looked really put together with her beautiful white winter coat and big earrings, and Hamish’s father looked like an older version of his son. Looking at them, it wasn’t a mystery where Hamish had gotten his style. If Hamish ended up looking like his father when he got older, Vera wasn’t going to be mad.

Right now, however, Hamish’s father was scowling a little behind his wife and Vera could imagine why Hamish and him often butted heads. He didn’t seem like the warmest person. Still, she could see a small hint of surprise and admiration in his eyes as he watched the house.

“He’s not here _right now_ ,” Vera began, opening the door wider. “But he should be back soon. He went to get some last-minute groceries.”

Vera didn’t tell them it was her who had craved ice cream so bad she had made him go fetch some from a 24h store that was still open. She had pouted and the sudden hormone-induced tears in her eyes had finally made him cave in.

Hamish’s mother finally smiled hearing the news. “Oh, so he does live here?” she questioned, trying to see behind Vera into the house.

“Yes,” Vera nodded, deciding it was probably best to invite them in as the cold weather was already making her shiver.

Once they were inside, she showed them where to put their coats and ushered them into the living room.

“You’re his girlfriend, right?” Hamish’s mother asked, offering Vera her hand. “I’m Edith and this is Iain,” she gestured to her husband.

Vera cringed at the mention of girlfriend but still shook Edith’s hand.

“Vera Stone,” she introduced herself with a small nod.

“Aren’t you a beauty,” Edith smiled at her, making Vera blush. She thanked her earlier self for applying some light make-up, even though they hadn’t had anything special planned for the day, because it hid the redness of her cheeks.

She was wearing black leggings and a tight top, with a light brown cardigan over them. There were also fluffy socks on her feet because they were freezing. She knew if someone from the school saw her, they probably wouldn’t even recognize her. It also made her feel a little self-conscious because she didn’t have her normal armor of high heels and red lipstick to protect her.

“Thank you,” she answered, running her right hand through her hair.

The motion meant that she was no longer holding her cardigan, and when it opened, it revealed her protruding stomach and made the woman in front of her gasp.

“You’re pregnant?” Edith exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. It also got Iain’s attention and he stepped closer to his wife.

“Hamish didn’t mention anything,” he frowned, looking at Vera’s stomach.

Vera’s own eyes widened, and she looked down at her belly, too, gulping a little. Hamish hadn’t said anything to his parents?

“Yes, I’m pregnant” she finally confirmed and raised her gaze back to the two people in front of her.

“Oh my! A baby!” Edith was smiling widely. “Hamish really didn’t say anything about a baby!” she gushed, touching Iain’s hand.

“That is because Hamish thought it wasn’t something to talk about on the phone,” the man in question answered from the door. Vera turned around in surprise as she had not even heard him come in.

“I wanted to tell you in person,” Hamish continued, walking fully into the living room.

He headed straight for Vera, kissing her temple, and turned to his parents. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”

“We thought we’d surprise you,” Edith replied, looking at them both with curious eyes.

“Why don’t you sit down, I’ll be back shortly,” Hamish said, gesturing to the grocery bag he was holding. “Otherwise the ice cream will melt.”

He winked at Vera who blushed again but still followed Hamish into the kitchen. Once they were out of earshot of his parents, she took a hold of his shirt to hiss at him, “What the hell is this?”

“I have no idea,” he hissed back. “They weren’t supposed to be back until New Year! Last I heard of them, they were still in Dubai.”

“And you didn’t tell them about the baby?”

“I didn’t want to tell over the phone! They hadn’t even met you yet.”

Vera had to admit it made sense. “But they did know we were dating?”

They hadn’t seemed too surprised at seeing her, even though the baby had been a shock.

“Yes, I had to tell them something,” Hamish nodded, finally taking the ice cream he had bought from the bag. When Vera saw it, she grinned.

“I can’t believe you made me fetch _mango ice cream_ in the middle of winter,” he shook his head.

“Hey! Are you questioning my flavor choices?”

“Of course not!”

With the ice cream now in the freezer, they quickly made their way back to his parents and saw Iain sitting on an armchair in the middle of the room while Edith was walking around. Currently she was holding the tiny socks Vera had been making for the baby but dropped them back on the table when she saw the couple.

“Lovely house,” she commented, straightening herself. “I love how bright it is here!”

Hamish smiled at his mother who then rushed over to him to hug him tightly. “My beautiful boy!”

“Mom,” he chuckled, rolling his eyes fondly. Iain nodded at Hamish from the chair and Vera could see the tension between them. She knew Hamish’s father hadn’t appreciated him dropping out of prelaw and she figured it was best they wouldn’t discuss his studies as that would surely lead to an argument.

When Edith finally pulled away, she didn’t let Hamish get too far.

“Tell me everything!” she enthused. “When is she due? Is it a boy or a girl? Have you thought about names yet?”

“Slow down,” he laughed. He told his mother to sit down next to his father while he took Vera’s hand and lead her to the couch where they sat down together.

“I’m due in June,” Vera chose to answer herself. “And we don’t know the gender yet, so we haven’t thought about names, either.”

Edith continued to smile. “A grandbaby!” she breathed out.

Iain had been quiet for a while but finally addressed them. “You’re the Chancellor of Belgrave University, aren’t you?” he asked Vera.

“Yes, I am,” she confirmed and got a nod as a response from Hamish’s father. He continued to study her, though, but after a few minutes, he seemed to conclude that she was a suitable mother for his grandchild and relaxed in the chair.

Vera felt herself shrinking under his gaze, but Hamish’s hand squeezed hers tighter and she noticed herself relaxing, too. She offered him a small grateful smile before moving her gaze back to his parents.

“Are you in Norwich during the holidays?” she asked, trying to direct the attention to them instead of her.

“Oh yes, we were thinking of staying at a hotel, but we wanted to come to see Hamish first,” Edith explained. “But there was no-one there. The only one we could call was that Randall boy and he said you were now living here,” she looked straight at her son.

“I’ve been staying here for almost a year now,” Hamish admitted with a small smile. “And now with the baby -”

“You want to be with them,” Edith nodded in understanding.

When Hamish had started to stay at her house more and more, it had taken Vera a while to get used to the fact that she was in a real relationship with him. But now she couldn’t imagine being without him. The house was so empty and quiet when he was away.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Hamish asked and Vera turned her head to look at him in surprise. They hadn’t planned any fancy dinner and she felt like his parents were used to nicer meals.

“Oh, we don’t want to be a burden,” Edith answered with a shake of her head. “We can come back another day or meet at a restaurant.”

“That sounds lovely,” Vera said politely. Honestly, she wasn’t looking forward to a dinner interrogation, but Hamish’s mother seemed nice enough. She was used to dealing with all kinds of people, after all.

“You can stay at the apartment,” Hamish offered. “I just have to warn you that it might be a little dusty.”

“That would be nice!” Edith smiled and even Iain nodded in agreement.

They all stood up and Hamish went to fetch the keys. While he was away, Edith walked closer to Vera and took her hand in hers.

“Thank you.”

Vera looked at her with a confused expression, not knowing why she was thanking her, so Edith continued.

“He looks so happy now. For a long time, we thought he had given up. He was so distant but now I feel like he’s _here_ , with us.”

“I like to think we found each other,” Vera admitted with a shy smile.

“Exactly,” Edith nodded, patting her hand. “And now you can give me many grandbabies to spoil and I’ll be one happy grandmother.”

She turned away too fast for Vera to reply anything but the shocked expression on her face probably said enough.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another really sappy chapter for you!

A girl. They were having a girl.

Vera felt okay. Happy, even, because it was _their_ girl, their daughter, and she was going to be fine.

Hamish was driving them home while Vera sat on the passenger seat, holding the newest sonogram photo in her hand.

Their daughter was perfect. There was nothing wrong with her and she was developing normally. She had been rolling and kicking in Vera’s womb during the ultrasound and even started hiccupping which had made the expecting mother let out a nervous and teary laugh.

And then they had heard they were having a daughter. Hamish had looked like he was on cloud nine and even Vera had smiled widely, although there was a tiny voice somewhere in her head, reminding her she already had a daughter.

But she could have another. A little sister to Alyssa.

She had been quiet the whole the drive and finally Hamish glanced at her.

“You okay?” he asked, quickly moving his eyes back to the road and concentrating on the traffic before them.

“Yes,” Vera nodded, looking up from the photo.

Hamish smiled, “It’s getting more real now, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, our daughter,” she answered, running her finger over the silhouette of their baby. “She needs a name.”

“We have time to think about that,” Hamish assured her as he finally pulled over to their driveway.

After they had gotten out of the car and he had taken Vera’s hand, she turned to look at him. “Yours is Scottish, right?”

She saw it took a while for Hamish to understand what she meant but in the end he got it. “Yes, my paternal grandfather came from Scotland, and both my dad and I have a Scottish name.”

“How about you mother?”

“I think her grandparents came from Scandinavia, but I am not sure which country.”

“So, a Scottish name isn’t necessary?” Vera asked as they entered the house. Hamish helped her take off her coat with a small laugh.

“No, but I’m sure my father would appreciate it.”

Vera thought about it. It would be nice to honor his family’s roots, but she had to admit she wasn’t very familiar with Scottish names. She wasn’t even sure she knew how to pronounce most of them.

“Don’t worry,” Hamish continued after putting her coat away and seeing her thoughtful face. He placed one hand on her belly and the other cradled her cheek. “It really isn’t necessary. Our daughter will have a name that suits _her_.”

Vera smiled. How did she even deserve him? She leaned up, pursing her lips a little, and Hamish chuckled before leaning down and kissing her gently.

“Will you be okay here if I go see the knights?” he asked after he pulled away.

Vera nodded. “Of course. I’ll try to find more mythology books online while you’re out.”

“We’ll do another sweep around the forests looking for her,” Hamish told her. The woman was still at large but the knights had found some trails in the woods the other day and were all eager to continue the hunt. Apparently, the wolf hides liked the game and Hamish had even said Tundra had felt giddy inside him at the prospect of getting to hunt a bad magic user.

“Be careful,” Vera said with a worrying look. She knew he always was, but she had to say it anyway, mostly to soothe her own nerves. After the rogue practitioner had left the rose on their patio, she had redone all of the protective wards around the house. She also strengthened them every night before they went to bed.

“I will,” Hamish answered, giving her another quick kiss before leaving.

Vera watched as Tundra took over him and disappeared into the woods. She sighed, heading for her laptop in the bedroom. A quick crash course in Finnish would have helped her a lot because that language just made no sense to her.

* * *

When Hamish got home in the evening, the house was dark and quiet. He frowned as he walked in but didn’t think too much of it since he knew Vera was a lot more tired now, given that she was carrying and growing their baby inside her.

Still, he went to look for her, thinking she had probably fallen asleep. He found her in their bedroom, lying on her side on the bed on top of the covers. At first glance she seemed fine but when he got closer, he saw she had been crying.

“Oh Vera,” he sighed and immediately removed his shoes and jacket, getting in beside her and pulling her in his arms.

She stirred from her sleep and stiffened a little at first, but then she seemed to realize it was him and relaxed, burying her face in his neck.

“Sorry,” she apologized but he shushed her, kissing her hair.

Hamish noticed she was holding something in her hand, and he tried to remove it. Vera let out a quiet whine at the motion but then gave up and opened her hand, letting him take the small old blanket she had been gripping.

“I looked at some names online,” she sniffed. “And I saw her name on some baby name site. I didn’t keep a lot, but that blanket is something I couldn’t throw away after she died.”

Hamish felt horrible hearing the pain in her voice. He should have been home so she wouldn’t have had to cry herself to sleep all alone. He held her tighter and exhaled deeply.

“We’ll make sure our daughter knows her,” he promised Vera. “She is her sister, after all.”

He felt her nod against him, and almost at the same second, there was a small kick against his stomach. They both gasped and stopped moving, holding their breaths. After a moment there was another, even fainter this time, but it made Vera let out a teary laugh.

“She’s saying hi,” Hamish whispered, trying to stay as still as possible. He was sure his werewolf senses allowed him to feel the kicks even stronger.

“Hi, baby” Vera spoke with a shaking voice. “I’m your mom, and you’re currently kicking your dad.”

Hamish laughed. _Dad_ , it still felt crazy to think about that word.

“She can already hear your voice,” he pointed out, pulling away a little to see Vera's face. He wiped some of her tears away with his thumbs.

“I know,” she nodded, “I’ve been talking to her while I’ve been alone. I don’t want to do that when others can hear. They would think I’m crazy.”

“No-one is going to think you’re crazy,” Hamish assured her and rubbed her bump. “If this isn’t a big enough signal you’re talking to the baby, I don’t know what is.”

She was 19 weeks pregnant now and her belly had gotten even bigger. There was no way to hide it anymore, and everyone who saw her knew she was pregnant right away.

Vera huffed but still smiled at him. “Everyone at the administration building was staring at me.”

“You’re gorgeous.”

“I don’t think that’s the reason.”

Hamish smiled at her. “Still, you have that glow they always talk about.”

“It’s sweat.”

“Could you let me compliment you for once?” he asked with a laugh and now even Vera was grinning.

“Joking aside, what did you find?” she asked when their laughter died down, and Hamish knew she wouldn’t be talking about her first daughter anymore. Her time to be vulnerable was over and she was back to business.

“A weird clearing in the woods not too far from the Den," he answered.

“And she had been there?”

“Yes, that’s what we can be sure of,” he said with certainty. “Her scent was there, one that I feel like I’ve smelled before, and there were burned plants and some other debris there as well.”

“But of course, no woman,” Vera sighed, sitting up and running her hand over her face. “Why is it so hard to find her!” she complained.

“She has to be well trained,” Hamish mused, sitting up as well.

Vera turned to take her laptop from the bedside table and opened a few tabs she had saved. “Then it means we have to educate ourselves, too.”

She angled the laptop so that he could also see it and pointed at the screen. “But first, I need an incantation to translate this. Google Translate didn’t work well.”

Hamish chuckled, shaking his head. “I knew you had a spell for that.”

He watched as Vera got up, walking to the living room to search for a spell book she knew was somewhere. After a moment she came back, holding a book with red covers, opened it and started chanting.

Seeing her use magic so easily always made him feel proud. She was strong, yes, and could perform powerful incantations, but she also struggled a lot. She carried her pain with her all the time, and even then, she was strong, and Hamish knew she would always pull through, no matter what obstacles she came across.

The smile on her face, when she managed to translate the text on the screen, was wide and genuine and Hamish couldn’t help but smile, too, when he saw it. He helped her with all the texts until she fell asleep against him. He continued to hold her, placing his hand on her belly and feeling another faint kick against it.

“I hope you know how much we already love you,” he whispered to their baby. He then picked Vera up and placed her back down on the bed, this time under the covers.

"I'm going to take care of you both."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little distracted while writing this because I just spent two days editing a video of Margot and Vera! It can be watched on YT [here](https://youtu.be/LLXR-sZVC1Q) 🤗
> 
> Some of my readers already saw it and I want to thank you for the comments ❤

“Goddammit Vera!”

Hamish walked into the reliquary and saw his girlfriend – his very pregnant girlfriend – standing high on an old wooden ladder, reaching for a book from the top shelf.

Vera turned around in surprise when she heard his voice and would have fallen if he hadn’t rushed over to steady the ladder. She started to climb down, and Hamish placed his hands on her hips to assist her. He held them there until she was safely back in his arms, and then let out the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. He crushed her to him, as much as her six-month pregnant belly would allow.

“You can’t do that!” he told her, squeezing her tight.

“You’re overreacting,” Vera mumbled into his shoulder. “I was fine.”

“That ladder looks ancient! You could have fallen.”

“I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” she sighed, pulling back from the hug. “I still have to do things.”

Hamish shook his head. “You cannot keep putting yourself or the baby in danger.”

“I was looking for a _book_ ,” she rolled her eyes. “I was not in danger. I’m not going to be calling you every time I need something!”

She moved his hands away so she could walk back to her desk, but he stopped her.

“Vera, please, I need to know you’re safe.”

“I am, really,” she looked at him straight in the eye. “You need to stop hovering or I’m gonna go insane.”

She tried to get away again and this time Hamish let her go. She headed for her coat and put it on.

“Where are you going?” Hamish asked, furrowing his brow. He thought she had work to do.

“To eat,” she huffed, collecting her bag and tightening the belt on her coat. “Do you want to escort me, so I won’t trip or something?”

She turned around with a flip of her hair and stomped out of the room.

* * *

Vera knew he was just trying to keep her safe. Their lives were crazy and there were always dangerous things happening, especially when magic was involved, but his hovering was getting on her nerves. Lately she had felt like she couldn’t go anywhere without him following her. One time she had even snapped at him when he had almost followed her into the bathroom.

She was pregnant, yes, and their baby’s safety was most important, but she was still able to do things, just like before. She wasn’t going to put herself or their daughter in danger.

Still, she couldn’t get too mad at him. She knew what it was like when no-one cared, so having him near her, no matter how annoying it was, meant the world to her.

She had already cooled down after storming out of the Temple. As usual, she felt a little foolish, and had waited for Hamish to catch up with her, apologizing to him for her attitude. Currently they were heading to her car, planning on getting some take-out.

Hamish was walking a few steps behind her, when they suddenly heard a loud scream. It was coming from the direction of the learning center and both Hamish and her whirled around in surprise.

Vera saw his eyes flash silver for a moment, but he managed to keep Tundra in check as they were in public and he knew he couldn’t wolf out in the middle of campus in broad daylight.

But based on the scream they had heard, she was sure they had to change everyone’s memories either way.

Vera and Hamish hurried towards the learning center, where they could already see people running around, trying to get away from something. When they got a little closer, they saw a woman standing in front of the building, her blonde hair flowing around her head in the air and fire oozing out of her fingers.

“Stay here,” Hamish told Vera, his claws and fangs making an appearance. “Don’t follow me.”

She almost protested, but then thought about the baby and everything that could happen and realized it was better to listen to him, no matter how much it pained her to do so. This time the risks were too big.

“I won’t,” she promised, coming to a halt on the pathway and preparing a protecting incantation in case she would need it. It looked like their lunch plans had to wait.

* * *

Hamish ran towards the woman while everyone else around him ran the opposite way, trying to escape the danger. So far, she hadn’t caused any harm to anyone, but he was sure it wouldn’t stay that way, so stopping her was necessary.

He performed a protecting incantation as soon as he reached her, its aura filling the air around him. It made the woman look up at him, and immediately her face darkened in anger.

“You!” she hissed, the fire in her fingers crackling. She took a few steps closer and finally Hamish saw her face.

“Laura?” he tilted his head in confusion.

The young woman in front of him had been attending one of his classes. She had been one of his best students but suddenly a few months ago she had disappeared, and he hadn’t heard of her since.

He couldn’t say he knew her, only her name, Laura Martin, but looking at her right now, she surely thought she knew _him_.

“You were supposed to be mine!” she seethed. She hurled a fire ball at him, but Hamish dodged it easily. It ended up hitting a tree instead and setting it on fire, but he couldn’t concentrate on it right now. He just hoped Vera had gotten far away.

“What are you talking about?” he tried to ask the angry young woman. From what he could remember, Laura had been a fairly shy student. A few times she had stayed after a class to talk about the topic they had been discussing, but she had always been polite and never caused any issues.

The woman in front of him was a total opposite of the student he knew.

Instead of answering she sent another fire ball at him and this time it collided with the protective field around him, shattering it.

Before he could conjure another, Laura reached him and took a hold of his forearm, which made him cry out in pain. She started muttering an incantation in what Hamish thought to be old Finnish, her eyes closing in concentration. There really was actual fire coming out of her fingers and Hamish had to wrench his hand away so it could heal.

It angered her even more. “Why is it not working!” she shouted, looking at her hands.

"Whatever you are trying to do, you must stop," Hamish tried to reason with her. He prepared another protection spell, all the while making sure she was only paying attention to him and no-one else. The last thing he needed was another student getting hurt.

"There must be someone else," Laura said all of a sudden. The way she was acting started to be manic and he knew he had to do something, but anything drastic would surely make her angrier.

"Who is it? Who is it?" she chanted, walking around in a circle.

"Laura?" Hamish tried to get her attention, hiding the small pouch of powder behind him. "Maybe we can move somewhere else and have a chat?"

He thought knocking her out gently would be the best option. The Order would know what to do with her.

Laura looked up at him in surprise when he addressed her, and Hamish could swear he saw a hint of sanity in her eyes before it was swallowed by her madness. 

"No-one else," she shook her head, her gaze moving from his eyes to something behind him.

Before he could react, she released another fire ball with a small " _Mene pois!_ " and Hamish could only watch in horror as it flew past him all the way to where Vera was still standing, breaking her protective barrier and hitting her straight in the chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did an oopsie cliffhanger.


	14. Chapter 14

Vera groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. She had an annoying headache and felt like she had been run over by a train. She looked around, wincing as the motion caused another stab of pain to hit her head.

“What-?” she croaked out, seeing only white walls around her. She felt frightened not knowing where she was and tried to sit up on the bed she was laying on.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re okay,” she heard Hamish’s voice tell her and she turned her head to the right, seeing him sitting there, right next to the bed. He moved closer and took her hand in his, raising it to his lips and kissing her knuckles softly. “You’re at the hospital.”

Vera frowned, trying to remember what had happened. She looked down at herself and saw she was wearing an ugly hospital gown and had an IV attached to her arm.

Hamish saw her confusion and started to explain, “The doctors think you have a mild concussion, so they want to keep you here for one night.”

“Concussion?”

“You hit your head when you fell.”

Hearing his answer brought back the memories of the fire ball flying at her and her desperate attempt to strengthen the protective field around her, and Vera gasped, her hand flying to her stomach.

“The baby?” she asked, her face filled with horror. She could not lose another baby!

“She’s okay,” Hamish smiled, placing his hand on her belly. “She’s been kicking my hand the whole time. They want to check, of course, but it seems like your protection spell worked after all.”

“But I felt the ball hit me,” she answered, looking up at him with a puzzled expression.

“I don’t think the fire ever touched you. It was just the force that knocked you over,” he explained, moving his hand to her chest. “See? No damage.”

Vera touched her chest with her left hand and an immense feeling of relief filled her when she felt there was no sign of any injury. She slumped back on the bed. “Thank God,” she breathed out.

“Still, you had a bad fall,” Hamish said seriously. “Seeing you lying there was horrible. You were unconscious and wouldn’t wake up, so I had to take you here. I couldn't rely on magic.”

She had gotten so used to magic saving her life, she hadn’t realized how a simple fall could be dangerous. Just a few hours earlier she had promised him she would be fine, and even joked about tripping and falling, and now she was at the hospital. It made her feel awful.

“Sorry,” she apologized but saw how he shook his head.

“It wasn’t your fault. She’s the one who attacked you. I should have been able to stop her before she got to you.”

This time it was Vera's turn to assure him it hadn't been his fault, either. She had stayed away so she should have been okay, and Hamish couldn't have known the woman wanted to harm her.

“Did you manage to catch her?” she asked. She wanted to know what had happened after she had lost consciousness, even though she could already guess the answer.

“Sadly, she got away,” Hamish told her, looking down. “I had to make sure you were okay, and she was able to disappear again.”

Vera nodded. “I understand.”

She couldn’t expect him to catch the woman when he was focused on helping her and their baby. At least they now knew what they were really against. Vera’s suspicion about the woman being possessed seemed correct. From what she had seen, the rogue practitioner had been out of her mind. And if her theory about the fiend was right, it was all about love.

But why she had attacked her was still a mystery to Vera.

She watched Hamish as he continued to rub her knuckles with his thumb and seemed to be deep in thought.

“What is it?” she asked after a few minutes. “Is there something else? Tell me.”

“I know her,” he replied, meeting her gaze.

“The woman?”

“Yes, Laura Martin. She was attending one of my classes.”

Vera stared at him with wide eyes, finally realizing what was going on. “She wants you.”

“What?”

“Of course! It makes sense,” she continued, motioning for him to raise her bed so she wasn’t completely lying down anymore. Her head was still hurting but it wasn’t as bad as it had been when she had woken up. “I told you about the fiend, Lempo, which possesses people who are desperate enough to summon it. She must have had a crush on you, and probably had no idea what kind of a being she was about to deal with.”

“But she’s not in the Order, is she?”

Already having forgotten the concussion, Vera shook her head, wincing at the pain. Hamish reminded her to take it easy before she continued her explanation.

“Like I mentioned, Finnish practitioners use magic differently. She must be a descendant. It would explain how she knows the language and the fiend in the first place.”

He still looked lost and Vera had to roll her eyes.

“You’re really handsome. You really haven’t realized your students might have a crush on you?”

“I-” he began, a small blush spreading on his cheeks, but then shut his mouth, furrowing his brow.

“Oh, right,” she chuckled. “You have a thing for older women. You probably didn’t even notice them.”

“Hey!” Hamish exclaimed, but Vera could see a small smile on his face as he looked at her.

She grinned. “I’m not judging. It worked in my favor.”

She was nine years older than him and even though it didn’t bother them, she was sure there were people who didn’t approve of their relationship. It seemed that men could have younger partners, but when a woman did, it was suddenly scandalous.

Hamish hummed at her comment and Vera was about to continue asking about the student but was interrupted by a doctor and a sonographer who knocked on the door.

“You’re awake. Great!” the doctor said happily before she started wheeling a table with a large monitor inside the room.

Vera perked up instantly and Hamish turned around to watch them enter and push the table next to her bed.

“We’d like to do an ultrasound to check that your baby is okay. Everything seemed fine but I heard you had a nasty fall and we don’t want to take any chances.”

The sonographer plugged in the monitor and set everything up before asking Vera to lift up her gown. She applied the gel and then pressed the ultrasound wand on her belly. This time they didn’t have to search for the baby as Vera was six months pregnant and their daughter was already the size of an eggplant.

Soon the profile of her tiny face was on the screen and Vera noticed herself tearing up again.

“Look. She’s sucking her thumb,” Hamish whispered in awe.

The doctor chuckled and explained how fetuses often sucked their thumb if their hand drifted close to their face. Their instinct to suck was so strong.

“Our baby,” Vera breathed, glancing at Hamish who had tears in his eyes, too.

Once it was certain their baby was okay and the ultrasound was over, the doctor and the sonographer exited the room, giving Vera and Hamish a moment alone. They promised to print a few pictures for the expecting parents to take home.

As soon as the door closed behind them and Vera had wiped the gel from her belly, she tried to get up.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Hamish stopped her and guided her back down. “Concussion, remember?”

She groaned. “Can’t we just powder them and go home?”

Now that she knew her baby was okay, she just wanted to go home and rest. She didn’t like hospitals. There were too many bad memories.

“Vera, please, it’s just one night. Getting you better is important too.”

She hesitated. She really didn't want to stay but she could also see how the whole situation had affected him. His eyes begged her to listen to the doctors. Finally she sighed in defeat.

“Fine,” she relented. “But can you at least powder them, so they allow you to stay here?” She didn’t want to be alone and she was sure they wouldn’t let him stay with her otherwise.

Hamish shook his head in amusement. “I can see what I can do,” he answered, getting up and heading for the door. Just before he left the room, he turned to look at her. “If I get in trouble, you’re responsible.”

“Sure,” Vera grinned at him, watching him go and shut the door behind him.

Her hero.


	15. Chapter 15

“You’re saying this is all happening because this chick has a crush on Ham-bone?” Randall laughed, continuing to chew on his burger, spitting lettuce all over the table.

“Randall,” Hamish warned him, giving him some paper towels so he wouldn’t mess up Vera’s living room completely. Gabrielle shook her head next to him but didn’t say a word, too used to her boyfriend’s constant hunger to be bothered.

“Sorry,” the younger man apologized after swallowing and wiped away the mess under Hamish’s watchful eye.

It was two days after the rogue practitioner had attacked Hamish and Vera outside the learning center, and Hamish had thought it was time the knights fully knew about the recent incident. They needed to be briefed on the new information that him and Vera had acquired, so he had invited them over for a strategy meeting.

“How’s your girlfriend taking all this?” Lilith smirked from the couch where she was sitting with Jack. She was still teasing Hamish about his relationship with Vera, and even the fact that they were now having a baby had not stopped the quips from coming. But at least she didn’t say any of it in a mean way. It was more like how a sister would tease her big brother and Hamish had learned to tolerate it.

“Very well, thank you,” Vera walked into the living room, carrying a pile of books in her hands. “I’d be more concerned if girls _didn’t_ have a crush on him," she admitted.

“It doesn’t bother you?” Gabrielle spoke up next, frowning at the news. She was excited about the baby, especially now that she was a part of their knight family, and she had always admired Vera, so the lack of concern in the older woman’s voice was worrying her.

“Of course, it does,” Vera answered, dropping the books on the table with a thud. “But this,” she pointed at her pregnant belly, “should be big enough a sign to tell everyone he’s taken.”

She placed her hand on the top of the bump and Hamish saw her jolt slightly when she felt the baby kick her hand. He blushed a little under the teasing gazes of his friends that had followed her remark, and it made Vera smirk at him.

“Anyway,” he began, trying to shift all their attention to the topic at hand. “This woman is dangerous, especially now that we know what she wants.”

“ _You_ ,” Lilith stage whispered, making Jack snicker next to her. Hamish glared at them both, not finding it amusing at all. Vera had gotten injured and their unborn baby had been in danger. It wasn’t something to joke about.

“I did some research,” Vera announced loudly, interrupting the bickering she knew would have followed. “This is a genealogy of her family,” she pointed at one book. “And these two should have more information about the fiend that has possessed her.”

Hamish took the genealogy, raising his brow. “And how exactly did you find this?”

Vera turned to look at him. “I have my ways,” she shrugged.

He narrowed his eyes at her vague answer, knowing she must have used some not-so-legal and maybe a little magical ways of obtaining the information, especially when she pulled out a death certificate of Laura Martin’s grandmother.

“Hilda Marttila died three months ago, and you said it’s been about two since Laura disappeared?” she paused for a moment to watch him nod his head before continuing, “Which to me seems to hint that she must have stumbled upon something that caused her to get possessed by Lempo.”

“Like a spell book?” Jack asked from the couch. He stood up and walked over to them, peering over Vera’s shoulder.

She nodded. “Yes, she could have inherited her grandmother's belongings, including her spell books."

“So, she really is a descendant?” Hamish questioned, flipping through the pages of the family history book. “Marttila? Is that the original surname?”

“Seems so,” Vera answered, leaning down to look at the name he was pointing at. “From what I’ve understood, many foreign surnames in America changed over time to fit the English pronunciation.”

“Makes sense.”

Randall seemed to have finished eating his burger and chose that moment to join the conversation, “So, this chick’s grandmother died, she got her spell book, performed a spell because she has the hots for Hamish, ended up getting possessed by a demon, started attacking people and sent Vera to the hospital? Was that all?”

“Yes, Randall, thank you for the recap,” Vera answered, her words filled with sarcasm. She straightened herself, rubbing at her back that now got sore easily.

“What should we do?” Gabrielle asked quietly. Hamish saw she seemed a little scared and not at all confident like she usually presented herself as. Even Lilith had gotten worried, the smirk she often wore vanished from her face.

The only person in their small group that looked determined, was Vera. She pointed at the two other books on the table and announced,

"We read those and prepare for a banishing ritual.”

* * *

Vera sat on the couch in the living room, holding a mug of hot chocolate in her hand. She was supposed to go to sleep but she couldn’t shut off her brain. She had thought a mug of something warm could help her but so far it hadn't worked.

“Are you okay?” she heard Hamish ask and raised her head just in time to see him enter the room. He was in his pajamas, just like her, and was ready to go to sleep.

“I thought you’d be in bed already,” he continued, sitting beside her and looking concerned.

“Couldn’t relax,” she answered quietly, placing her almost empty mug on the side table and moving closer to him, seeking his warmth. Hamish wrapped his arms around her so that they were both cradling her belly protectively.

“I could have lost her,” she whispered, burrowing her head in his neck.

“I know,” he nodded, tightening his hold on her.

Vera had been so focused on figuring out the truth about the woman and finding a solution that she had completely ignored her own emotions. When she had called it a night after their meeting and everyone had gone home, the seriousness of the situation had finally slapped her in the face.

She had been attacked.

Her baby had been in danger.

_She could have lost her daughter._

“I can’t lose her,” she said, raising her head to look him in the eyes. “Not again.”

A few tears escaped her eyes and Hamish raised his hand to wipe them away.

“You won’t. Not while I’m here.”

“But the woman's targeting _you_.”

It wasn't just a random practitioner. It was someone he knew, someone who was a threat to him and at the same time to her and their unborn baby. It was terrifying.

“I’ll make sure she won’t get near you again,” he promised her, and the intensity in his eyes almost made her gasp.

“We know what she wants now. We have all the information,” he continued. "It means we have the upper hand."

"What if she succeeds in whatever spell she's trying to perform?"

It was another thing she had been wondering. What if she possessed _him_?

“Not gonna happen," Hamish shook his head. "I love you and that’s not going to change. You’re carrying my baby and I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe.”

Vera kept looking at him and then almost shyly answered, “I love you, too.”

Hamish smiled, leaning down and capturing her lips in a gentle and loving kiss. When he pulled away, he kept their foreheads touching.

“Now with that out of the way, are you ready to go to bed?” he asked with a smile. “You did strengthen the wards, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Vera nodded. “I did it three times while you showered.”

“Good.”

He stood up slowly and pulled her up with him. Then he took her hand in his and started to guide her towards their bedroom.

When Vera passed the threshold into the room, she could feel the protective magical energy almost pulse with the beat of her heart and she knew that she’d be safe here.

She had her magic and her wolf and no-one was going to hurt them again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first, this was supposed to have some plot in it but then Vermish wanted to have sex and who am I to say no?

“Mmhh that feels good,” Vera moaned lowly, moving to lie on her side to give Hamish more space to massage her back.

He applied more pressure and she moaned louder.

“This sore here?” he asked when he found the right spot.

“Everything is sore,” she mumbled into her pillow.

She was now in her third trimester and had officially passed the point where pregnancy could be described as “pleasant”. Her back kept aching and it didn’t help that her daughter was now settling into position for birth, so her head was resting right on her nerves and sometimes causing jolts of pain to hit her pelvic region. Vera’s belly had also gotten so big now that she couldn’t even see her feet when she was standing, so it wasn’t a surprise that her back hurt.

Her daughter’s kicks were getting stronger each day, and Vera often woke up in the middle of the night when her baby decided to start practicing her soccer skills. And if she stopped kicking her, Vera got worried, thinking something could be wrong.

“Were you able to sleep?” Hamish asked her while he kept rubbing her lower back.

“After she stopped kicking,” she answered, rolling around to face him so they could talk properly.

It was a bright Sunday morning in March, and they had decided to have a lazy morning in bed and not go anywhere, at least for a while.

“Less than three months to go,” he reminded her, caressing her belly that was now between them. Immediately he felt two sharp kicks against his hand.

“Good morning, baby girl,” he chuckled while Vera let out a groan.

“You woke her, great.”

Hamish grinned at her, not at all apologetic. Even though the kicks could be painful and annoying, Vera was glad he could now feel them, too. At first, it had only been her who was able to feel their daughter, and it had felt like her own little secret, but now she loved seeing the joy and happiness on his face as he rubbed her stomach and talked to their baby.

“She needs a name,” he continued after a while. “We can’t keep calling her ‘baby girl’ her whole life.”

“I know,” she nodded, applying some pressure to the spot the baby had just kicked. “But none of the names I’ve seen online felt right.”

“I liked Alexandra.”

Vera looked at him. “Because it’s close to Alyssa?”

“Well, not only because of that, but I understand if you don’t want a name like hers.”

“It’s beautiful,” she admitted with a smile. “Maybe as a middle name?”

She had to admit it was a nice thought to remember her first daughter, but she didn’t want to feel like the baby she was currently carrying was replacing Alyssa. And their daughter needed a name that was her own. She was her own person, and quite fiery based on the way she kept kicking and punching her.

“We don’t even have to know yet,” Hamish brought her back from her thoughts. “What if we choose a name, and then she is born, and it doesn’t fit her at all?”

“She’ll be a newborn. How do you know if it fits or not?” she teased him.

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll know,” he smiled, closing the distance between them and kissing her. The baby started kicking again and Vera had to pull away a little because the smile on her face made it hard to continue kissing him.

“Is she already trying to kick you away?” she laughed against his lips, placing her hand on his naked chest and rubbing it gently.

“She wants you to herself,” Hamish answered, slipping his hand under the t-shirt she was wearing to caress her back. The shirt had been his at some point, but Vera had taken it and now it belonged to her. It was more comfortable than her own shirts, but even it was now getting quite tight around her midsection.

“Hmm, too bad we’re a package deal.”

She quickly moved over him and straddled his hips, pinning him to the bed. When she leaned down, her belly pressed against him and her messy dark hair tickled his chest.

“You’re gorgeous,” he managed to utter before she captured his lips in a deep kiss. He ran his hands all over her back until she sat up to remove her shirt and tossed it away.

“Really?” he raised a brow.

“Uh-huh,” she nodded, moving down his body to start removing his pants.

Entering her third trimester had not reduced her hunger for him and soon she had stripped him of his clothes. Vera smirked at him as she removed her own panties and straddled him again, now with nothing between them but bare skin.

But before she could do anything else, Hamish sat up and pulled her against him. She whined at first at his interruption, but it soon turned into a low moan when he started peppering her neck with kisses. While he sucked the spot where her neck met her shoulder, one of his hands sneaked its way to her breast and she gasped when she felt him pinch her nipple.

“Careful,” she murmured against his ear, reminding him of their sensitivity and the fact that accidental lactation probably wasn’t what he was looking for.

He hummed in response and his hand moved back up to cup her face. He closed the small distance between them and kissed her hard.

“Need you,” Vera panted into his mouth when they had to pull away to breathe and rubbed herself against him to create friction. It was his time to moan and it prompted her to raise herself a bit so she could guide him into her.

When she finally sank down onto him, her mouth opened in pleasure. She pushed him back down on the bed and placed her hands on his chest, raising herself up before sinking down again. Her eyes closed involuntarily as she moved her hips up and down.

"Open your eyes," Hamish pleaded, taking a hold of her rocking hips.

She did and immediately gasped when he thrust up into her at the same moment.

"Fuck," she cursed, knowing he had done it on purpose. She chose to retaliate by picking up the pace and rendering him speechless in the process. She smirked at his ecstasy filled expression but let out a moan of her own when she realized she was already close to her peak. So much for that plan.

Her movements became more erratic as she chased her climax and it only took one whispered "Let go" from Hamish for her to shatter around him.

He started thrusting up at her when she was still coming and it didn't take long for him to find his release as well.

Vera couldn't collapse on him because of her pregnant stomach so she rolled off of him to lay beside him. He turned to her and wrapped his arms around her as they tried to catch their breath.

"Satisfied?" he muttered, trailing his fingers around her stomach.

"Hmm," she hummed, too tired to give a proper response.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes," he chuckled.

"Sleepy," she answered, closing her eyes.

The last thing she felt was him pulling the covers over them and kissing her hair before sleep took over her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Biggest thanks to Quibilah for commenting! At least I know you're still reading this 😄❤
> 
> Also! I got accepted to an English creative writing course at my uni which means I'm gonna be getting credits for writing fanfiction. How cool is that?? 🤗

Investigating an explosion in the woods wasn’t the way Vera had wanted to spend the day.

It shouldn’t have surprised her, though, seeing how crazy her life had been in the past three years. There had been demons, magical parasites and assassination attempts, so a fire in the woods sounded quite ordinary, and not even that dangerous.

She had been sitting on the couch knitting a beanie for the baby when Hamish had heard the sound of an explosion coming from the woods behind the house and rushed into the living room. Vera hadn’t heard anything as she had been concentrating on her knitting, but she knew his ears could detect sounds from a longer distance, so she had believed him.

Immediately Hamish had called the other knights, who apparently had also heard the distant sound coming from the woods, and soon they were all in the forest, searching for the site of the explosion. To Vera it fell ridiculous. She had no idea where they were going as the woods around her all looked the same, but the wolves seemed to know the way and kept going.

She had tried to keep up with them but running through the woods was not something she was good at, and right now with the baby bump it was almost impossible. Gabrielle had decided to stay with her and not wolf out, making sure she stayed unharmed. Gabrielle had Midnight so she was confident she could protect her and the baby if needed. In the past Vera would have probably declined and said she was able to take care of herself, but right now her daughter was more important than her ego. She could tolerate a little bit of assistance as they made their way deeper into the woods.

Finally, after half an hour, they found it.

It was Tundra who first entered the burned clearing. Silverback and Timber weren’t far behind and they were promptly followed by Greybeard, who seemed to be a little lazier today. The wolves sniffed around but didn't find anything that interested them, so they gave control back to their champions.

When Vera and Gabrielle managed to reach the group, the wolves were already gone and, in their place, stood five naked practitioners. They weren’t bothered by their own nudity in the slightest and were investigating the mess around them with curious eyes.

Immediately Vera’s eyes zeroed in on Hamish. She stared at his naked form and tried to convince herself she did it because she didn’t want to see the other disciples naked, but the arousal she felt for him told her otherwise. She was staring at him because she wanted him. She mentally chastised herself and cleared her throat to let everyone know she had arrived.

All the knights turned to look at her, but Vera kept her eyes firmly on Hamish. She was carrying his clothes in her hands, so she walked straight over to him and shoved them at his chest.

“Get dressed,” she ordered, keeping her eyes up and trying not to look down.

“Distracted?” he smirked at her knowingly but took his clothes from her and began to put them on.

“Shut up,” she hissed at him. She tried to stay serious, but the ridiculousness of the whole situation made the corners of her mouth twitch and soon there was a small smile playing on her lips. Her boyfriend continued to grin at her which made the other knights groan.

“Please, not again,” she could hear Jack complain from behind her, and it snapped both her and Hamish back to reality.

“Are you dressed, Mr. Morton?” she asked, keeping her back to him and continuing to look at Hamish. She felt like she had already seen enough of the knights in their birthday suits and hoped Gabrielle had given them their clothes back so they could dress up, too.

“Yes, _Grand Magus_ ,” the boy behind her answered, and Vera glanced up at Hamish, raising her eyebrow, wordlessly asking him if it was true.

He nodded while he buttoned up his shirt. “You can look at them now.”

She slowly turned around and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw all her disciples back in their preferred outfits. She took a few steps in their direction, getting all serious again.

“So, what do you think?” she asked, looking around the small clearing surrounding them. She could see there had been a fire in the middle as the ground was completely burned and charred, but the damage didn’t end there. There were branches and other debris on the ground and some small trees on the edges of the clearing had fallen, probably from the impact of the explosion.

“The clearing itself looks similar to the one we found earlier,” Hamish told her. “Quite small, and not too far from the campus.”

“The previous one wasn’t burned, though,” Jack added, crouching down to inspect the charred circle in the middle.

“Looks like a spell gone wrong,” Randall wondered out loud, kicking away a stone and watching as it disappeared into the undergrowth. “Wait a minute! Hamish, isn’t this your scarf?” he suddenly exclaimed, reaching down and picking up a dirty brown scarf from the ground.

The man in question looked at his way and frowned when he saw what his friend was holding.

“Yes,” he answered, walking toward him. “I lost that some months ago. I always thought I left it in a classroom but couldn’t find it afterwards.”

“Well, looks like your admirer took it,” Lilith commented, walking over to them, her arms crossed over her chest. “Still, I don’t get why she’s obsessed with you.”

“Me neither,” Hamish frowned, taking the scarf from Randall and inspecting it.

“This fiend is intense,” Vera reminded them. “The woman is not in control of herself.”

“But she’s been doing something here,” Jack spoke up.

Vera nodded and headed over to the middle of the clearing. With one hand she held her belly and slowly crouched down so she could touch the ground. “ _Revelare_ ,” she whispered, closing her eyes in concentration. Her hand glowed for a moment until her eyes suddenly opened and she gasped.

Hamish was behind her in a flash and helped her up, letting her lean against him. “What’s wrong?” he asked when she turned around to look at him. "What did you see?"

“She tried to possess you,” she said in surprise, her eyes wide. “But it didn’t work.”

Hamish frowned. “Why?”

“Because of Tundra,” Vera answered and smiled widely. “Of course! She couldn’t possess you because you are _already_ possessed!”

“What?” all the knights exclaimed at the same time.

“I’m not possessed,” Hamish said but there was a hint of doubt in his voice as he thought about it. “At least I don’t think I am.”

“Possessed is probably the wrong word,” Vera continued with a frown. “She couldn’t take control of you because there is already another magical being living inside you.”

Vera watched as the realization slowly hit him and he let out a small laugh.

“Tundra saved me from getting possessed?”

“Looks like it,” she nodded.

She hadn't known the hides could protect their champions but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. These fiends messed with their victims' heads and could even take over them, but when there was a werewolf hide already residing inside a champion, they wouldn't let anyone else control them. There was simply no more space.

"Tundra didn't do this, did he?" Gabrielle spoke up next, gesturing to the damage around them.

"No, it was the fiend. Fire seems to be its thing," Vera answered. Fire was present every time Laura and the fiend made an appearance but this was the first time there had been an explosion.

"Did you manage to read through the books?" Hamish asked, directing his question at Vera.

"No, not yet," she replied with a shake of her head. "They are written in old Finnish and mostly consist of poems and songs which are hard to understand even for native speakers. I think I need to make a trip to see my sister in Finland. She's currently residing there."

Maybe she'd find out a way to translate the texts if she was in the country they were originally from.

"I'm coming with you," Hamish announced, and to his surprise, Vera nodded.

"Of course, I'll just need to call her and tell we're coming. The Cretian Loom should be ready for us to use whenever we need it."

They continued to plan their trip and made their way out of the clearing, leaving the others standing there, looking at them in confusion. The last thing Vera heard before she was too far, was Randall mumbling, "Now I'm craving a burger. Something cooked over a fire."


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments! I really appreciate them ❤
> 
> And I have to thank Quibilah again for helping me with this chapter and laughing at the poems with me 😄 There's gonna be some dirty language in this!
> 
> But, trip time! If you're not familiar with my earlier story in this series, I recommend you to read it. It explains how I've tied Vera's and Margot's stories together.

_(National Library of Finland)_

Hamish ran his gaze around the old 19th century library and its tall ceilings and archways. The cupola above him was decorated in paintings and the big windows on the ceiling brought bright daylight into the room. The whole architecture of the National Library of Finland and the layout of the halls reminded him of the bathhouses of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

“I wish we had something like this in Belgrave,” he said in awe, moving his gaze from the ceiling to the bookshelves surrounding him. There were even more of them above him on galleries that ran along the walls. They were supported by massive marble coated columns with golden Corinthian capitals at the top.

“They’ve modernized most of the buildings there,” Vera replied from beside him.

“And to be completely honest,” Margot jumped into the conversation, “Helsinki is a fairly new city, too. It was made the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland only in 1812. Before that the capital was the medieval city of Turku.”

“Someone’s been studying,” Vera commented and shook her head.

Margot just shrugged her shoulders. “I thought I should know the basics while we reside here. Feels safer that way.”

To Hamish it was great. He found the history of the city fascinating.

“We’re currently in the City Centre Campus of the University of Helsinki, which was also moved here from Turku. The university was originally founded there in 1640.”

“That’s old,” Hamish nodded. No wonder they were here looking for answers to their demon problem. If there were old Finnish spell books, they’d surely find them here.

“As much as I’d like to continue the history lesson, we have work to do,” Vera reminded her boyfriend and sister. “We have to get to the basement.”

Hamish furrowed his brow. “The basement?”

“Yes, they have the country’s largest collection of books containing Finnish cultural heritage in this library. The books that I need just aren’t available to everyone.”

A magical basement under an old library. To Hamish it sounded a little bit too cliché.

Still, he exited the cupola hall with the two women. Margot was the one who located the stairs leading to the basement, and they made their way down, Vera leading the group. There were multiple rooms open for public and she lead them to the one at the end of the hallway. The room they entered looked like a basic basement with shelves and shelves of books stacked in rows, filling the cavernous space. Gone were the classical atmosphere and the glorious decorations of the halls upstairs.

But lucky for them, the space was empty of any other visitors.

Vera seemed to know where she was going as she walked deeper into the room. Hamish and Margot followed her until they were at the far end of the room, staring at a wall in front of them.

“Now what?” Hamish asked, looking up and down the solid white rock.

“Open Sesame?” Margot offered, which made Vera roll her eyes.

She placed her hand on the wall and cast “ _Aperio_.”

Suddenly the wall was no longer a wall but a door that Vera opened carefully and stepped inside.

“A glamor spell?” Hamish wondered out loud and followed right behind her.

“Yes,” she answered, leading them into another room that looked the exact same as the rest of the basement. The only difference was the amount of magic radiating from the bookshelves.

Tundra was immediately awake inside Hamish when he saw the books, and his eyes flashed silver for a moment until he shook his head to force his hide down. He saw Margot looking at him weirdly, but she didn’t say anything, so he trusted that Tundra had listened. Vera’s sister knew about magic but not werewolves. Therefore, wolfing out suddenly wouldn’t have been the best way to let her know.

Hamish ran his gaze around the room before he addressed Vera, “I remember you saying practitioners in this country mostly live in solitude and don’t form any groups, so how is this place here?”

“They have to be able to store their powerful grimoires and spell books somewhere,” she informed him, already browsing a shelf on the right side of the room. She pulled out a book and opened it, flipping through a few pages before putting it back. “Also, most of these are really old, not belonging to anyone,” she continued, wiping the dust from her fingers.

Hamish took a book from the nearest shelf, opening it on a random page, but then immediately closed it when the ringing in his ears got louder. He grimaced, placing the book back on the shelf.

“I can see what you mean,” he muttered, deciding to let her do the searching. Tundra didn’t seem to enjoy the magic in the room. He still followed her, making sure there were no threats. They were in an enchanted basement, after all, and he could never be too careful, especially now that the was carrying their unborn daughter.

For about fifteen minutes Vera went through the shelves, piling books in Margot’s arms. Her sister was walking behind her, eyeing each book with curiosity. After six books Vera announced they had enough.

“You’re not going to just steal these books, are you?” Margot asked, furrowing her brow.

“Of course not,” Vera replied automatically. “I’m just borrowing them. This is a library after all.”

“I don’t think you can use the library card for these,” Margot pointed out, and Hamish chuckled silently from the side. He really liked Vera’s sister.

“I guess you have a plan to smuggle them out?” she kept going.

Vera nodded and with her finger drew a small symbol in the dust on the cover of the first book. “ _Quidquid requiritur, fiat_.”

Margot gasped. Instead of the pile of old books she had been carrying, she was now holding a single modern-looking book in her hand.

“Lakes of Finland: In Alphabetical Order,” she read out loud. “Impressive.”

Vera smiled and took the book from her. “Now we go and borrow this,” she announced. “Then I have to go pee. The baby has been resting on my bladder the whole time.”

* * *

_Senate Square (From left to right: The main building of the University of Helsinki, Helsinki Cathedral, Government Palace)_

They finally made their way out of the library after Vera had used the toilet, and continued walking down towards the Senate Square, located in the heart of the oldest part of the city. On their left stood a big white Cathedral, overlooking the square that was already filled with tourists and tourist buses. It was only spring and still quite chilly, but the tourists didn’t seem to mind as they used their selfie sticks to take photos of themselves and the cathedral.

“That’s the main building of the university,” Margot pointed at the yellow classical building on their right. “But I guess you already know that,” she looked at her sister, “being a university chancellor yourself.”

Vera nodded, looking up at the building. “Yes. I have never been to Helsinki before,” she admitted, “but I do know it is a Top 100 university, so it's a pity I haven't had the chance to visit before.”

She couldn’t go in right now as she was on Order business in the country and Belgrave had no idea she had taken a few days off to travel across the world with a magical loom. She didn’t want to take any chances that someone would recognize her.

"We can always come back," Hamish said, placing his hand on her lower back. Vera turned her head to send him a grateful smile and they kept walking out of the square.

The group continued their day by eating lunch at a restaurant downtown after which they decided to head back to their Airbnb apartment. Margot and her family were residing in the countryside about two hours away from the capital which meant that Vera and Hamish had had to rent an apartment for a couple of days while they browsed libraries in hopes of finding the answers they were looking for. Margot had tagged along, acting as their guide if needed. She had been residing in Finland for about a year and was already familiar with the culture. When Vera had asked her why they chose the country, Margot’s answer was that it was far away and not a place you would think first. It was what they had wanted.

Also, people in Finland left them alone. That was another reason. If you wanted to be on your own, it was a great country to hide in.

However, the apartment Vera and Hamish had found was far from hiding. It was a small penthouse in a bohemian neighborhood not far from the city center. It was close to the shore and the décor was obviously inspired by the sea and seafarers based on the blue, white and orange colors of the furniture. There was even a painting of an anchor on the wall in the living room. Overall, it was all very simplistic, which seemed to be the norm in the country, Vera had learned.

Walking into the open concept living, dining and kitchen area, Vera placed the fake book on the small black coffee table and whispered a few Latin words, watching as the book turned back into old grimoires.

“Hm, too bad. I would have liked to read about Finnish lakes,” Margot commented from the kitchen where she was emptying their grocery bag. “I wanted to know if our lake at home was included in the list.”

“You can go back, if you want,” Vera answered her, sitting down on the couch, rubbing her back. Walking on old cobblestones didn’t agree with her back and it had started to hurt again.

Hamish walked over to the couch as well and sat down next to his girlfriend, replacing her rubbing hand with his. “So, how are we going to do this?” he asked, eyeing the books.

“We start translating them,” Vera told him, letting out a small moan when he pressed on a sore spot. “The spell might not translate everything correctly, but it’s a start.”

“Alright,” he nodded, giving her back one last comforting rub before he took the book closest to him from the table. Margot sat on an armchair next to them and picked up a book as well. Vera performed the spell on her book and told Hamish and Margot how to cast it. Then they started reading.

They read for over an hour until Margot sighed in boredom.

“This book is just telling about a town named Lempäälä, or how the hell you pronounce that, and how it relates to this Lempo fiend. There’s nothing about any spells, just history.”

“I found some spells,” Hamish spoke up. “But they are a little messed up as there are some unfamiliar words the spell can’t translate.”

He placed the book on the table and pointed at the text. Vera leaned in closer to see what he meant.

“ _Love, start moving; Glory, climb; to this maid’s pussy-_ ”

He stopped abruptly and his eyes widened in shock after reading the line. Vera started laughing, not able to hide her sudden amusement, and even Margot raised her head from her book.

“Tell me more,” she closed her book with a slam and rushed to his side, taking the book from him.

“ _Plow your ass with your dick_ ,” she read and then burst out laughing. “Oh my God, what is this?” she asked, fishing her phone from her pocket and taking a photo. “I have to show this to Alana.”

Hamish was still in shock, his cheeks red from embarrassment as he turned to Vera, trying to say something, but couldn’t come up with a reply.

“I think we found summoning spells,” she answered after her own mirth had died down. “Or at least the dirty ones.”

Margot turned to her with wide eyes. “I hope I didn’t just summon something.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not that easy,” Vera told her, and saw how her sister let out a sigh of relief.

“Fiends usually require a powerful practitioner and a ceremony of some kind,” Vera continued, taking another book from the table, "usually with sacrifices."

She started opening the book but only managed to open the first page when she suddenly heard a loud growl and Tundra’s claws ripped it from her hands.

Vera jumped up in shock, subconsciously cradling her belly with her hands, and watched as the big wolf threw the book on the floor.

Immediately it burst into flames and burned into ash in just a few seconds.

Margot had also jumped away in horror when Hamish’s wolf had come out and was standing in the corner of the room, holding a hand to her chest. She was panting as her wide eyes jumped from the werewolf to the book.

It got all quiet in the room until her shaky voice filled the silence.

“I guess we’re not returning that.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you liked the poems 😂

Vera continued to stare at the ashes on the floor which were still fuming slightly. If she didn’t know, she couldn’t even have guessed that there had been a book once, that’s how badly it had burned.

She had no idea what had happened and why the book had burst into flames. Had someone put a spell on it in case anyone tried to read it? It could be possible. She hadn’t had time to read any of it until Tundra had snatched it from her hands, but it made sense. The book must have been important.

She was pulled back from her musings when she heard a grunt from her left. She turned her head just as Tundra gave his control back to Hamish and he slumped down on the couch, naked as the day he was born, his torn clothes littering the floor around them.

“I’m sorry,” Hamish apologized when he was finally back to himself, and Vera rushed to him. She took his clothes from the floor and started to mend them with her magic.

The whole room was a mess as the massive wolf had knocked over the coffee table during his transformation as well as slammed the couch into the wall which had dropped a few paintings on the floor. Hamish seemed to be in shock as well, looking at Vera with wide eyes and panting slightly.

“It’s okay,” she said, giving him his pants so he could dress up and moved to mend his shirt. “You saved us.”

He frowned. “Technically Tundra did. I didn’t even sense anything until he took over.”

He stood to put on his pants and then sat back down next to her, taking the mended shirt she was holding. “Thanks,” he smiled at her, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Hey, we’re totally fine,” Vera told him firmly, not letting him blame himself. She placed her hand on her belly and was greeted by a few punches against her hand. Their daughter was okay.

“I sensed something in that weird room in the library, but it went away when we left,” he admitted, running a hand over his face. “I think Tundra tried to warn me, but I didn’t listen.”

“Who is Tundra?” a sudden voice asked and both Hamish and Vera turned to look at Margot who was still standing in the corner, looking at them with wide eyes.

They had completely forgotten she was there with them, too concerned for each other and only focused on the danger they had been in.

“Oh,” Hamish began but didn’t know how to continue, so he looked at Vera.

“He’s a werewolf,” she helped, motioning for her sister to join them on the couch. Margot was hesitant, but when Hamish assured her she would be fine, she relented. She didn’t sit on the couch, though, but chose the same armchair she had sat in before the whole ordeal.

Margot looked at Hamish, her head tilting a little in confusion as she tried to understand. “Where is it?”

Hamish chuckled a little, flashing her his silver eyes. “He’s inside me.”

She gasped and her eyes widened again, but Hamish wasn’t done explaining yet.

“Tundra is my hide’s name. Usually I’m able to control him, but sometimes he might come out to protect me, or in this case, Vera and the baby. I think he considers our daughter his as well.”

That was something Vera hadn’t really thought about before. She was having a baby with the werewolf, too? How was that going to work?

“A werewolf,” Margot nodded, gulping a little. “Sure, why not? It’s not like my life hadn’t been crazy enough.”

“Sorry,” Vera cringed. “It wasn’t our intention to let you know like this.”

“But you would have? Let me know I mean.”

“Yes, eventually,” she nodded and looked up at Hamish for confirmation. “It’s a big secret to keep.”

“I never told my parents,” Hamish commented and got a frown from Vera.

“Which I still think is not a good thing, but I’m going to let that slide right now.”

“I’m guessing this is all tied to magic somehow?” Margot asked. She had known about magic for a while now, and even knew how to perform a few spells herself, so she didn’t seem to be as shocked as Vera had initially anticipated.

Hamish nodded. “There are magical hides that select their champions and bond with them. We don’t get bitten during a full moon or anything.”

“And you can control the wolf?”

“Yes, mostly.”

Margot still continued to look at him with suspicion, so he chuckled.

“As long a you don’t hurt me, or her,” he pointed at Vera, “you’ll be fine.”

“Wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone, not anymore,” she said firmly. They had all gone through so much hurt already, it was time to let go of it.

“Speaking of hurt,” Vera spoke up. “I think we need to figure out what happened to that book.”

She glanced at the ashes lying on the floor. They were no longer burning, but the smell in the apartment was still strong, and she was surprised no-one had called the fire department. Luckily, they had their magic and could clean the room in no time, leaving no evidence behind.

“There’s no way to salvage that, is there?” Hamish asked, and got up to inspect the mess more closely.

“Don’t think so,” Vera answered. “I might be able to get some information from it, the same way I did in that clearing but I can’t turn it back into a book.”

It hadn’t just burned. It had been destroyed by magic.

She walked over to Hamish, who had already crouched down, and joined him on the floor. Once again she placed her hand over the ashes.

“ _Revelare_ ,” she pronounced, and her eyes closed automatically as the images filled her mind.

She let out a gasp as she saw the fiend in the middle of a circle, surrounded by what seemed to be practitioners. It was screaming as flames ate it away piece by piece while the practitioners chanted an unknown spell.

Then, from the circle, a young woman stepped closer to the fiend, drew her sword, and cut the fiend’s wings off just as the flames reached its head, burning away everything.

The scream that the fiend let out finally snapped Vera out of her vision and she slumped forward, but fortunately Hamish was able to catch her. She fell into his arms, out of breath.

“You okay?” he asked her, guiding her back to the couch.

Vera nodded, trying to get her heavy breathing under control.

“Fire.”

“Uhm, what?”

She let out a small laugh, looking at the ashes. “It’s all about fire,” she said, shaking her head a little in disbelief.

“Lempo is born out of fire and it’s also the only thing that can destroy it.”


	20. Chapter 20

“We might have a slight problem,” Hamish cringed as he began to fill Vera in on the information he had just found.

It had been two weeks since their trip and they had been preparing for the ritual to banish the fiend. They were currently in the reliquary, going through yet another set of books from their collections as well as the ones they had taken with them from Finland. It was unknown kind of magic for them, so the preparation took longer than they had anticipated.

“It needs to be a full moon or even a lunar eclipse.”

Vera’s head shot up from behind the book pile on her desk and she frowned.

“You sure?” she asked, moving her hair away from her face. “I didn’t see anything about that.”

“Yeah, it says so clearly here,” Hamish answered and showed her the paragraph from the book he had been reading. “We need a power source, but we cannot use any sacrifices, so it’s the moonlight that helps us perform the ritual.”

Vera had to admit it made sense considering the kind of magic these practitioners used. Drawing power straight from nature wasn’t something she was familiar with, so she had to trust the books.

“And when exactly is the next full moon?” she asked, even though she already knew she wouldn’t like the answer.

Now Hamish cringed even harder. “May 16th.”

“Seriously?” Vera huffed, slumping down in her chair. “That’s a month away!”

They had already wasted so much time researching because they didn’t know enough and now they had to wait for the _moon_ to catch up.

“I know. The last full moon was two days ago.”

“And you’re supposed to be werewolves!” she continued to voice her frustration.

Hamish chuckled softly. “I think it’s just better that we don’t go crazy on a full moon. I don’t think the Order would like that.”

“True,” Vera nodded, pursing her lips in thought. Rampaging wolves on campus would be a disaster.

“Well, at least we have time to really prepare,” he added, placing his book on the desk. “I take it you’ve already selected the disciples that will be attending the ritual?”

“Yes, mostly Magistrati but some Medicums as well,” she told him. “And you wolves of course.”

She knew she couldn’t be a part of the circle this time. She was already 32 weeks pregnant and, in a month, she’d be about three weeks away from her due date. Hamish definitely wouldn’t let her take part in the ritual. That was why they needed the wolves. Their magical power was the closest to hers and they needed it, badly.

“Speak of the devils,” Hamish smirked just before there was a knock on the heavy wooden doors.

“Ham-ster, we have your swords!” they both could hear Randall shout through the door.

Vera raised her eyebrow at Hamish as she flicked her wrist to open the doors.

Randall and Jack walked into the room, both carrying a sword in their hands.

“We didn’t know which one you wanted, so we took both,” the former explained, pretending to fight off an invisible enemy, almost hitting Jack in the process.

“You have swords?” Vera hissed at Hamish, leaning closer to him, just as they heard a “What the hell, dude?” from Jack.

“We’re knights, of course we have swords,” Hamish laughed, getting up and taking the sword Jack was carrying, and inspected it. “Did you just walk around campus with these?” he raised his gaze to his friends.

Randall and Jack both looked at each other and then shrugged.

Vera pinched the bridge of her nose. “Next time use a glamour spell, or something,” she sighed and shook her head. She didn’t need any complaints about her students carrying weapons on campus.

“Yes, Grand Magus,” Jack grinned but didn’t look apologetic in the least.

She rolled her eyes and got up from her chair, walking around the table to take the longsword from Randall. He pouted a little as he had to stop his playing but still offered the sword to her.

The sword looked medieval. The handle had some detailing on it even though it was a little faded and the blade itself was double edged, like traditional European swords usually were.

“Impressive,” Vera nodded. She looked up at the knights and frowned when she saw their expressions.

“What?” she asked, looking at Hamish who was cringing slightly.

His eyes moved from the sword to her pregnant belly and then back to the sword.

“Really?” Vera huffed, lowering the sword.

“Yeah,” he nodded, walking over to her, and taking the sword from her.

“I have to admit seeing Vera Stone holding a sword while pregnant is not something I thought I’d see but it kinda fits,” Randall commented and got a glare from the woman.

Before they could start their usual squabble, Jack spoke up, “I’m guessing these aren’t ready just like this? I have no idea when someone has last used them.”

“You mean you don’t run around the woods, cutting people with swords?” Vera raised her brow, but then grinned. “Of course not, you just eat their hearts instead.”

“We haven’t done that in a while,” Hamish reminded her. “Not since we joined the Order.”

“And I appreciate that,” she nodded, walking back to her chair and sitting down. They really needed their disciples to keep their hearts.

“We still need to enchant the swords before the ritual and find the right spells to use,” she continued, pointing at the books. “We already have an idea on how to separate the fiend from the woman and I think we can use our own spells for that.”

“Separate?” Jack repeated, his eyes widening a little.

“Yes, we need to cut the fiend’s wings off,” Vera explained, running her fingers over the books on her desk and wondering which one of them to check next. “Can’t do that if there are no wings.”

She picked up a book that looked promising and started browsing it while Hamish opened a lunar calendar on his laptop. It was necessary they got the date right. Missing another full moon would not be acceptable.

Almost immediately after opening the calendar Hamish gasped and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

Vera’s gaze snapped to his. “What is it?”

A big grin spread on his face. “I guess we have some luck after all,” he chuckled, turning his laptop to show the screen to her, Jack, and Randall.

“There’s a total lunar eclipse on the 16th of May.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There really is a total lunar eclipse on May 16th 2022!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The invite to join the [Vermish Discord server](https://discord.gg/ZXWPYN2) still stands! 🤗

Vera walked over to the couch where Hamish was sitting with his laptop. She was holding a bowl of ice cream in her hand as she tried to plop down next to him, but she felt more like a walrus with her belly, and the movement wasn’t as graceful as she had planned.

“What are you doing?” she asked him, trying to see the screen of the laptop.

Hamish hummed and showed her the site he was on. “Just checking the specific data for the eclipse,” he explained.

Vera nodded, removing her spoon from her mouth. “Anything interesting?”

“The full eclipse starts at 03:29 UTC and ends at 04:53 UTC which for us should be 11:29 pm till 12:53 am if I did the calculation correctly.” He clicked on his notes and pointed at the numbers. “I had to take daylight saving time into account as UTC never changes. The duration of the full eclipse is roughly one hour and 25 minutes which I hope is enough to banish the fiend. The magnitude of the eclipse is 1.414, whatever that means.”

Vera was impressed. She had asked him to find the information, but this was more than enough.

“It should be enough time,” she answered, leaning closer to the screen to check his notes. “Especially if we perform the separating ritual before the eclipse with our own magic and sacrifices.”

She knew they could do the first part their way. She had already ordered a couple of goats to be sacrificed during the separation ritual and her disciples knew what to do. The banishing, on the other hand, was a whole other thing. She had never used moonlight to perform a spell.

Reading his notes, Vera continued eating her ice cream, not noticing how Hamish’s expression changed when he got a whiff of it.

“What _is_ that?” he wrinkled up his nose.

“Huh?” Vera straightened herself and turned to him. “Oh, this?” she held up her bowl filled with dark grey ice cream. “It’s salmiac ice cream.”

“Salmiac?”

“Salty liquorice. Want some?”

Hamish looked at her like she was crazy. “No, thank you.”

“It’s good,” she told him, eating a spoonful. “Sweet and salty at the same time.”

She had been craving weird combinations lately, like _mango_ on her pizza, and the salty liquorice ice cream tasted perfect right now.

“Where did you even get that?” Hamish asked, placing his laptop on the floor and taking the bowl from her hand. He smelled the ice cream and shuddered in disgust. “Even the color is unappetizing.”

Vera looked a little sheepish. “Finland. Margot gave me some.”

“Figures,” he chuckled.

“It really is good!” she defended her food. “The flavors complement each other nicely. You should try it.”

Hamish looked at her, his gaze moving to her lips which she could feel had some ice cream on them, and smirked. “Okay,” he said and closed the distance between them, kissing her deeply.

Immediately her eyes closed, and she forgot about the ice cream as she surrendered to his kiss.

“Sweet and salty,” he said as he pulled away. “Still don’t like the ice cream, though.”

Vera let out a small gasp when she saw his smirk and hit his shoulder.

“You tricked me,” she complained, taking her bowl back, and continued to eat the ice cream. She sent a glare his way and he started laughing.

“You’re adorable,” he grinned, bending down to take his laptop, but before he could reach it, Vera shoved him down and straddled his hips.

“I’ll show you adorable.”

* * *

The next evening found Vera and all the Knights in the altar room at the Temple with a bunch of other disciples around them. The swords Jack and Randall had brought were lying on the altar, waiting for the enchanting ceremony to start.

The ceremony was a little delayed as Vera had struggled getting herself into her robe – because they didn’t come in maternity sizes – and they couldn't start without her. In the end, she had performed a small spell and finally got the robe to close around her stomach. Hamish had watched her with amusement until she had glared at him and stomped into the altar room, him following close behind.

Right now she was standing next to the altar, looking at the weapons. They were still regular old swords, but soon they’d be enchanted and ready to be used in a banishment ritual. Getting rid of a being that didn't even have a physical body required something more than rust.

As Vera stood in the middle of the room she could feel the stares coming from the disciples and raised her head to address everyone.

“Yes, I’m pregnant. Have been for some time now, so that shouldn’t be a surprise,” she said sternly, her gaze jumping from disciple to disciple, and saw how some of them immediately turned their eyes away from her belly.

It had to be weird for them to see their Grand Magus with child, but they’d already known about her pregnancy for months, so she would have thought they’d gotten over the shock by now. Still, she knew she had always seemed really cold and closed off around her disciples. She had been someone whose life only revolved around the Order and the university, so maybe it would take them a while to come to terms with the fact that she was now having a baby.

Vera felt Hamish’s hand land on her shoulder and heard him whispering “Go easy on them,” in her ear before he walked over to the other knights, ready to start the ceremony.

In the end, it didn’t take long for the swords to be enchanted. It was a simple spell, and everyone knew what to do – except for two Medicums who almost pronounced a few Latin words wrong – so half an hour later everyone was already in the antechamber, enjoying the cocktails Hamish was making.

Vera sat on a loveseat close to the bar with a mocktail in her hand, watching the people of her chapter enjoy their evening. She would have preferred going home, but Hamish had convinced her to stay, at least for a while. Her back was aching and she could feel the heartburn starting, but she could humor him and sit there for a bit. Maybe everyone would see she was still the same Vera she had always been even though she was expecting a baby.

Right now she was watching as Randall and Jack emptied a bottle of champagne down their throats, and shook her head slightly. Kids.

“You really are pregnant, huh?” she suddenly heard a voice ask and turned her head to the left to see a blonde woman her age standing there, looking her up and down.

“Ms. Perry,” Vera greeted the Council member with a scowl and drowned the rest of her drink in one go.

“Grand Magus,” the woman answered, swirling her own drink in her hand.

Oh, how Vera wished she could have some alcohol right now. Amanda Perry, or Mandi as Kepler had called her, had never been a fan of hers. And now that Kepler was no longer with them, acting as a buffer, she feared what would come out of their conversation.

“I thought the Council already knew about my pregnancy,” Vera said, moving her gaze back to the disciples on the other side of the room.

“We did, but I didn’t want to believe it until I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Well, now you have, so you can keep doing whatever it is that you came here to do,” she said with a sweet fake smile.

“I came to check what kind of a ritual you were preparing for,” Mandi explained, also with a fake smile. If they had to keep smiling at each other like that, the muscles in their faces would start cramping soon.

“I can email our plans to the Council,” Vera answered. She was sure the Council didn’t really care. They hadn’t cared when she had tried to warn them about the Tartarus explosions, so they’d probably be fine with the Belgrave chapter dealing with the fiend on their own. At least it wasn't trying to start an apocalypse.

Mandi hummed but didn’t say anything. Vera tried to take another sip of her drink until she remembered her glass was empty and frowned.

“Here,” Hamish appeared next to her and swapped the glass in her hand with another mocktail before sitting down next to her. Immediately he wrapped his arm around her, clearly showing the council member he was on Vera's side.

Mandi let out a small huff at seeing the wolf. The council now knew about the werewolves in the Belgrave chapter, but they had stayed quite impartial on the matter, not really choosing a side. There were some members, like Mandi, who didn’t like the wolves and didn't hesitate showing their dislike, but overall, the Council had had to admit that Vera and the Knights had dealt with Praxis very well and also saved the day during Invocare, so there really was nothing they could complain about.

The Knights were part of the Order now, just like they had been in the past.

Mandi took one more look at the couple before shaking her head and walking away. When she was gone, Hamish turned to Vera with a frown.

“Not a friend of yours?”

Vera shook her head. “She was Kepler’s friend. Never liked me.”

“I’ve gotten the feeling you don't really have any friends here.”

“I was never looking for friends in the Order,” she told him. “I was always an outsider.”

Bitsy might have been a friend of hers once but they had never been that close. Vera was the weird scholarship kid whose family had disowned her and who had never fit in with the popular kids. Not that she would have even wanted to. It had never been popularity she was after.

“Well, you have us now,” Hamish said, gesturing to the other Knights fooling around on the other side of the room. Lilith and Randall were now having a drinking competition, trying to find out who could drink more shots in 10 seconds, it seemed.

Vera let out a small laugh. “I’m not sure if that’s better or worse,” she smirked at him.

Hamish mock gasped at her remark but still pulled her closer, and she rested her head against his shoulder.

They were in their own world and completely oblivious to the gazes the other disciples were sending their way. Some were looking at them with frowns on their faces, but more and more people were smiling, watching their Grand Magus and her wolf be so clearly in love with each other.


	22. Chapter 22

When Hamish woke up, it was still dark outside. It had to mean that it was still the middle of the night, and when he turned his head to look at the clock, he saw it was indeed 3 am. He could already feel that Vera wasn’t beside him, so he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

He knew she had had some problems sleeping lately. Either it was the baby keeping her awake or she wasn’t feeling very well because of her pregnancy symptoms. She had complained about back pain as well as heartburn, and apparently her visits to the bathroom had also gotten more frequent now as the baby was pressing on her bladder. He had tried to help her and be there for her but there was only so much he could do.

Yawning, Hamish got up from the bed. He checked the bathroom first, thinking she could have woken up to relieve herself, but didn’t find her there. Her getting hungry was the next thought in his mind, so he left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen. He saw it had lights on so he knew he'd find her there.

When he got closer to the kitchen, he still couldn’t see her. It made him frown. Where was she? There weren't many places she could be in the house.

He listened carefully, letting Tundra tell him what he heard, and finally his ears picked up a scraping sound coming from behind the counter. Slowly, he walked even closer, and saw her on her knees on the floor in front of the oven.

“What are you doing?” he asked with a raspy voice, coughing a little to clear his throat.

Vera’s head shot up in surprise and she moved her hand out of the oven.

“It was dirty,” she answered, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, looking guilty.

“The oven?”

“Yes,” she nodded, furrowing her brow.

“And you thought you’d clean it in the middle of the night?”

Again, she nodded. “Couldn’t sleep.”

A small smile crept on Hamish’s lips. He knew exactly what she was doing.

“You’re nesting.”

Vera looked up at him, one brow raised. “I’m what?”

“Nesting. It’s when you make the house ready before the baby arrives.”

“I’m not a bird,” she huffed, trying to get up, but realized she didn’t know how. “Help me up.”

Hamish chuckled but did as she asked and helped her back on her feet.

“You do realize you could just use magic to clean the oven?” he pointed out. They usually didn’t use unnecessary magic at home, but cleaning the oven sounded like something he would gladly do with magic.

“I needed to do something myself,” Vera sighed. “Nothing is ready here. The baby is due in less than a month and I feel like I haven't done anyhing!”

She stepped closer to him and buried her face in his shirt. Hamish wrapped his arms around her as best as he could, feeling a few punches from the baby against his stomach.

“That’s not true,” he told her. “The nursery is ready, we have her crib in our bedroom, and we’ve been attending birthing classes. Everything is under control.”

They had gotten so many clothes and baby supplies from his parents, as well as from their friends, that they hadn’t needed to buy a lot themselves. But of course, they had gone shopping, too. Just a few days ago Vera had found adorable baby onesies and the excitement and elation on her face had been a sight to behold.

“We’ve been so focused on the fiend that we haven’t even been thinking about names,” she mumbled. “I want her name to mean something, not just pick one from a popular names list somewhere on the internet.”

“We can wait until she’s born. Let her tell us her name herself.”

He still liked the name Alexandra as a middle name, but their daughter's first name was still a mystery.

Vera hummed into his chest but didn’t answer. Hamish kept rubbing her back gently, knowing how exhausted she had to be. The baby was almost ready to enter the world and her belly looked like it was ready to burst. It had to be hard to carry it around.

“I feel so restless,” she admitted. “I need to do something.”

“It’s the adrenaline in your system, getting you ready for giving birth.”

Vera raised her head and looked at him with an amused expression. “Have you been reading those pregnancy sites again?”

Hamish had a sheepish smile on his face. “Maybe?”

She chuckled, shaking her head.

“I have to,” he admitted. “This is all new to me. You have gone through this once, I haven’t. I don’t even have siblings who would have had kids. Just cousins I haven’t been in contact with in years.”

Being an only child meant that there had been no nieces or nephews for him to see grow. For a long time he had thought his parents would never even get a grandchild.

“It’s been a long time for me, too,” Vera said quietly after a small silence. “I was young, and I don’t remember being this exhausted back then.”

Imagining her as a 16-year-old pregnant girl, who had been kicked out by her parents, hurt him. It made him feel even more protective. He wanted to make sure he'd always be there for her and the baby.

“Honestly, I’m in awe of you,” he told her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just seeing you carrying and growing our baby while taking care of everything at the university and in the Order makes me feel extremely proud.”

He knew she wasn’t good at receiving praise or compliments, so it wasn’t a surprise how she frowned in response to his words. But before she had a chance to answer, Hamish poked at the furrow on her brow lightly with his finger.

“None of that,” he said with a small grin, which made the woman in his arms glare at him. Unfortunately for her, her glares no longer worked on him, especially when he saw the exhaustion in her eyes.

“Do you want to go back to bed?” he asked her. They had been standing in the kitchen for a while now and they really needed to sleep, especially her.

“I guess I could try to sleep now,” Vera answered, this time a small yawn escaping her mouth. “Maybe the baby will finally sleep, too.”

As a response, he could feel a small punch against his stomach, and she groaned. “Or not.”

Hamish chuckled but pulled away from the hug. He started leading her towards their bedroom, and once they were finally back under the covers, wrapped in each other's arms, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

They’d finish cleaning the oven tomorrow.


	23. Chapter 23

Vera sat at her desk in the reliquary, finishing the preparations for the ritual taking place the next day – or night to be specific. They had almost everything taken care of. They had the goats, swords, a few different spells to choose from and everyone was briefed. The lunar eclipse was happening at 11.29 pm the next evening, just as Hamish had told her, and a few of her disciples were in charge of tracking it. Right now, the only thing missing was the woman, Laura, and how to get her to the Temple.

Vera was writing down notes, concentrating on the paper in front of her, when the doors to the reliquary opened. She raised her head, thinking it was Hamish, coming from teaching his latest class, but frowned when instead of her boyfriend, Mandi walked into the room like she owned the place.

“Lovely office you have here,” she spoke up, coming to stand right in front of the desk.

“You’re still here,” was Vera’s deadpanned answer as she scowled at the woman. She hated when the council members walked into the reliquary unannounced and acted like she was just a nuisance they had to get rid of.

“The council wants me to oversee the ritual,” Mandi explained, sitting down on a chair and crossing her legs.

That was surprising to Vera and got her to sit up straighter. “They didn’t say anything to me.”

She took her phone and scrolled through the email exchange with the council but didn’t see anything about Ms. Perry staying at Belgrave.

“They were worried about the ritual and your… condition.”

Vera looked back at Mandi who was eyeing her belly with a frown.

Her daughter was almost ready to be born now, just a few weeks short of being considered full term, so she felt massive. She had already had to stop wearing pants and tight dresses, and instead, was wearing a loose maxi dress. It was black, as usual, and fit for the Grand Magus. Even heavily pregnant, Vera wanted everyone to know she was still in charge. She had refused to touch any of those floral pattern ones Hamish’s mother had tried to make her wear.

“I’m not going to be in the circle,” she answered and hoped Mandi heard the annoyance in her voice. She was pregnant, not sick. “But I’ll still be present.”

“And you trust your disciples to deal with the fiend?”

“Yes, they know what to do. I also have the wolves.”

The other woman huffed a little hearing about the wolves but didn’t protest – this time. She had to know about their magical power and how important they were in defeating the fiend.

“So, what are you going to do?” she asked instead. “If I have to be a part of this, I need to know the details.”

Vera would have preferred if she _wasn’t_ a part of the ritual but had no time to fight with the council again, so she conceded and told her their plans. When she was almost finished, Mandi suddenly raised her hand.

“And how exactly are you going to get the woman into the Temple?”

Vera cringed slightly at the question as it was the only thing she still didn’t have a solution for. How did you lure a possessed woman to her own banishment ritual? They didn’t know where she was, none of their spells had worked, so they couldn’t just go and grab her. She had to come to the Temple on her own.

Vera opened her mouth to answer Mandi, but Hamish, who just had walked into the room from the side entrance, was faster.

“That’s where I come in.”

Mandi turned to look at him and even Vera was surprised.

“She wants me so it’s my job to lure her in.”

It wasn’t something they had discussed, and Vera felt herself get irritated.

She pursed her lips. “Can I talk to him in private?” she addressed Mandi, hoping the other woman understood and wouldn’t protest. Vera clasped her hands together on top of the desk and motioned to him with her head.

Mandi huffed, again, but stood up from the chair. She walked past Hamish, who was standing in the middle of the room with his arms crosses over his chest, and shook her head.

“A damn werewolf,” Vera could hear her mutter as she made her way out of the reliquary, but Hamish was already walking toward her desk, so her attention focused on him.

“You know it’s the only way,” he spoke, uncrossing his arms, his expression softening.

“And what exactly is your plan?” Vera arched her brow. “That woman is after you – and me.”

“Yes, but she hasn’t made an appearance in many months, not since you were attacked.”

Hamish sat down in the chair Mandi had just vacated and kept his gaze on her the whole time. “I know we haven’t been able to track her, not with magic or scent or anything else, but there must be a way to let her find us instead.”

“Oh, I’m sure she knows where we are. We haven’t been hiding from her, quite the opposite actually.”

There had been some fires, but so far Laura had stayed hidden. She didn’t seem to be after anyone else and didn’t go hurting people on campus. She had performed some rituals in the woods but so far nothing big had happened. It was almost like she was waiting for something.

Hamish nodded. “And that’s why we should just let her know we want her to come here. She has to be curious enough to listen.”

Vera had to admit he could be right.

“I also know that Laura is smart,” Hamish continued. “From what I’ve gathered from the countless of books we’ve read, the fiend doesn’t have its own agendas, so it’s all her. She’s the one who’s doing all this, it’s just the fiend that has messed with her head.”

“And it just proves that she’s planning something,” Vera said and sighed, rubbing her temples. “If we have to go through the whole reliquary again, I’m going to go insane!”

They had read so many books already, she was sure she’d soon know them all by heart. And usually, they didn’t even find what they were looking for in any of their own books.

Hamish chuckled. “No need. I actually think I know what we have to do.”

That got Vera to let go of her head and look up at him. “You do?”

“Yeah, I need a rose."


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this one took a while to finish 😬 I don't think I've ever written an action scene this long. It's not good but it's 2 am and my eyes can barely focus anymore, so enjoy 😄

Hamish stood in the middle of the dimly lit altar room, holding a red rose in his hand. There was a white summoning circle drawn around him on the floor, and he could see disciples hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. He also knew there were even more people waiting in the reliquary, Vera included.

He had managed to convince her to stay in the background and not enter the altar room unless it was absolutely necessary. It had caused her to scowl at him the whole day, but he hadn’t budged. He wasn’t going to put their daughter in danger, and he knew Vera didn’t want that, either. She just couldn’t admit it to him, so she kept being her stubborn self and sulking in the reliquary.

Smiling to himself, Hamish twirled the rose in his hand, careful not to hurt himself on the thorns. They had planned how to lure Laura into the Temple the previous day and now was the time to test how well it would go. The rose was bound to her using a spell he had found in an old grimoire, and she should feel everything they did to it. The spell had required something Laura owned and fortunately, Hamish still had an essay she had written before she had disappeared. She had never arrived to the class where they had discussed the essays, but he had had to keep it anyway, and now it turned out to be a good thing.

Turning his head to the left, he locked eyes with the council member, Amanda Perry, who had insisted on being a part of the ritual now that Vera couldn’t, and saw her nod her head slightly. He then glanced at the other knights on the right side of the room and they also nodded their heads, telling him it was time to start.

Knowing they were ready, Hamish held the rose higher and whispered “ _Inflammatur_.” Immediately the flower caught fire and he had to avert his eyes from the bright flame.

As the rose burned, he concentrated on Laura and, in his mind, started telling her where to go and where to find him. He thought he felt a small nudge from her but couldn’t be hundred percent certain, so he kept pressing.

He wasn’t sure how long he kept calling for her. The enchanted rose kept burning but stayed intact, and he thought he even saw some of its petals growing back, like they were healing themselves.

It took fifteen minutes for something to happen. Tundra was the first to notice someone nearing the Temple and Hamish perked up instantly. He heard the disciples around start moving, too, seeing his reaction. He listened carefully, and after a few minutes, he saw Laura entering the antechamber. She walked slowly, looking around her, and when she spotted Hamish in the middle of the altar room, her eyes flashed a fiery color.

She walked closer to him, staring at the burning rose, and Hamish was relieved she didn’t seem to notice the danger around her. When she was right in front of him, he offered her the rose. She looked at him with a small smile when she took it, and Hamish felt a little bad for what was to come.

Laura touched the fire with her hand, letting the flames dance around her fingers, and while she was almost enchanted by the flower, Hamish said, “Now.”

Her eyes shot up, but the practitioners were faster and chanted “ _Debilitetur_ ” before she had the chance to do anything. The woman was paralyzed on the spot and Hamish took the rose from her, putting out the fire.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. He walked to the side, pulled his mask over his face, and took his place next to Mandi in the circle that was already gathering around the possessed woman.

Being the oldest and most experienced practitioner in the group, Mandi was in charge of the spell. She was the strongest out of them all and knew what to do in a big ritual. Hamish was okay with her taking the lead and let her guide them through the incantation.

The spell they were using was quite long but not too difficult. He kept pronouncing the words with the others and saw how Laura started to writhe in pain almost immediately. She couldn’t move from her spot, but her body was twisting without her control.

When they were halfway through the spell, she suddenly stopped moving. Mandi signaled them to slow down and concentrate on pushing their power into her and try to force the fiend out of her body and her mind.

After a few minutes of deep concentration, Laura’s head shot up and she let out a horrible scream, her eyes burning a red color. She got one of her arms free from the spell and was quick to send a fire ball hurtling toward a disciple, but he was able to protect himself at the last second.

“She’s trying to escape!” Mandi shouted. Hamish heard shocked exclamations and curses around him as everyone tried to conjure protection spells with one hand while still chanting the separation spell. He himself tried the paralyzing spell again but it only worked for a couple of seconds until she was moving again, and this time both of her hands were free, and she attacked another disciple.

“Shit,” Mandi cursed, going for full attack.

“We need more power!” Jack shouted from the other side of the room. “Attacking her won’t help!”

“We need to get her to stop moving!” Mandi shouted back. Laura was still trying to get herself completely free and was getting angrier by the minute.

“We need someone to hold her in place while the others finish the spell,” Hamish spoke up, dodging yet another fire blast from the possessed woman in front of them.

Mandi turned to look at him and he could see she was getting frustrated. “We don’t have enough power for that!”

“I can do it,” Vera’s voice interrupted them.

Hamish whirled around in shock and saw his girlfriend walking toward them in her robe that seemed to highlight her heavily pregnant belly even more. She had a determined look in her eyes as she stopped at the edge of the summoning circle.

“Vera, no!” he cried out, fearing for the worst, but she was already chanting an unknown incantation, holding her hands up in front of her.

“I will hold her while you finish the spell,” she told everyone, not taking her eyes of the woman writhing in pain in the middle of the circle. Her spell seemed to work as Laura was paralyzed again.

“Yes, Grand Magus,” Mandi said and nodded, already signaling everyone to continue the separation ritual.

Hamish felt torn. He could feel Tundra wanting to get out and drag Vera back to the reliquary where she and their unborn daughter would be safe, but he had to hold his hide down. As much as he wanted to listen to the wolf, he also knew they needed her power and magical strength to finish the ritual. If they couldn't get the fiend out of the woman, they could not banish it without harming her.

Trusting Vera's power and skills, he made a decision. His eyes silver, he joined the rest and started repeating the spell. This time it seemed to work faster. Laura let out an ear-splitting scream as they kept pushing their magic into her and the red light in her eyes grew even brighter.

“Something’s happening!” someone in the circle yelled.

“Keep going!” Mandi ordered and Hamish turned his eyes to Vera.

“Do as she says!” she hissed, pushing all her magic into the spell. “I can do this.”

Just as she said it, Laura dropped to her knees with another scream and Vera had to concentrate even harder. Hamish found Randall's and Lilith's eyes on the other side of the circle and his expression alone told them to keep pushing. Their magic was needed to get the fiend out of her and now was their only chance.

Hamish didn't even know what the separation would do to her. Their books hadn't gone into detail about it and they didn't know anyone who would have done the spell before, so he had to trust their magic and willpower to make it work.

Mandi seemed to have an idea, though, as she yelled, "Now!" when he started feeling some resistance. Hamish gritted his teeth at the pressure but managed to push more of his magic into the woman.

What happened next was unexpected and caught everyone off guard.

Laura let out a final loud scream before her body released a shock wave of energy in every direction. Some disciples fell on the floor and Hamish also felt the wind being knocked out of him as the force hit his stomach.

There was a loud ringing in his ears as he breathed the air back into his lungs. He took in the scene before him and saw Laura lying on the floor, unconscious, and a small cloud of smoke forming above her. He had no time to focus on it, though, as he also saw Vera lying on the floor, holding her stomach. He immediately rushed to her.

"Vera! Are you okay?"

She rose to her feet slowly, letting him help her, and nodded. "I'm okay."

Hamish glanced behind him at Laura, and was shocked to see the cloud of smoke growing bigger.

"Shit," he cursed lowly.

"Shut the doors!" Mandi yelled, dragging the unconscious woman out of the circle with the help of Jack and Gabrielle. "We cannot let it escape the Temple!"

Someone pronounced the words for the spell and Hamish could hear the Temple closing all the exits, locking everyone in.

He turned to look at Vera and saw she had a terrified expression on her face.

"Vera?" he asked, dread filling him. It was an expression he had never seen on her face.

She gulped, and with a small voice answered,

"I think my water just broke."


End file.
